By Bao Chau (283)

In the past year, one of Central’s most inspiring clubs has gone under the radar. Due to the popularity and talent of clubs like IPCO, ASAO, KSA, AASU, and APIU, Central’s United Vietnamese Association (UVA) doesn’t come across as a heavy hitter. However, UVA has become a more active club within the school. Last year, the club managed to have one public event and one performance, which was during the API Showcase. The club is known for its hat dance every year during the cultural showcases, and such traditions aren’t going away this year. The club recently performed at the Penn Museum on January 27th for the Lunar New Year Festival. After that, they are getting to work for the upcoming Multicultural Week and the 2024 API Showcase in April! In the meantime, they’ll continue to hold informational and community-building events in room 51. So far, the club has done jeopardy, arts, crafts, and gaming events. 

Last year, the club hung on by a thread as the cabinet only grew with the addition of five members, and it was only those five members that the club started off heading into the school year as 282 members graduated. However, after recent events, there was an addition of nine students willing to take on cabinet positions in the club. Despite the odds, the 2023-2024 members of UVA have managed to revive one of the most important spaces for Vietnamese culture in Central High School!