THE SOUTH ASIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION

The South Asian Student Association is a new club at Suncoast that brings students together to connect with their culture, meet new people and learn about their roots. The sophomore founders Abhik Saha, Mahi Patel and Ryan Ullah came together and made this club to unite South Asain students, and to relate with one another in an enjoyable way. 

Saha said, “South Asian Student Association is a club at Suncoast in which students can spread South Asian culture by discussing South Asian cultures and issues, while engaging in fun activities, playing games, and having fun.” 

What sets this club apart from others is their importance in diversity, bringing students in from different South Asian countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri lanka, Pakistan, India and Bhutan. 

They focus on connecting South Asain students from different countries by hosting meetings on Google Meets and playing games. The games and activities give their members memorable experiences that they will carry on throughout their lives.

Patel said, “Through our various games and activities, we ensure an unforgettable experience for each member.” They want you to ask yourself what you have taken away from the meetings and activities. 

While all of this seems fun, the process of making the club required  hardwork and determination. The club took a lot of planning, and with COVID-19, it made it harder to arrange. The different ideas they had to come up with and what they were going to do for every meeting had to be planned out as well. Spreading the news about their new club had to be done virtually due to no one being at school. 

Ullah said, “ We had to plan out the logistics of everyone joining the meetings and making sure they enjoyed being in them.” 

The SASA has hosted two meetings where their main goal was to connect and get to know each other. Doing ice breakers, discussing what the club would be about, bringing the South Asain community to Suncoast and talking about the upcoming events that their club was going to host. 

They have planned fun events like the game Among Us that help them grow a relationship with each other. Movie nights, cooking lessons and dress up days are activities that they plan on doing to not only have fun, but to also join people together. 

Sophomore Subaita Shaheed who is a member of the SASA said, “School and especially Suncoast can be very stressful but clubs like these make school a more enjoyable experience .” Shaheed joined the SASA because she wanted to make new friends and feels that this club is a perfect opportunity to do that. 

The founders have done a very good job in making this club enjoyable and informative with not only games and activities, but ways South Asain students can get to know their members, and their culture at the same time.