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UPDATED: April 12, 2021 at 6:24 p.m.

Syracuse University alumna Carina Lui landed her first two architecture internships through connections from her high school. But many of her SU peers — especially students of color — were unable to get jobs because they lacked those connections, causing them to leave the architecture field.

“If we had mentors in the industry already who can vouch for us and get our foot in the door, we would not be losing that many architects of color,” said Lui, who graduated from SU in 2008. “That’s a huge problem in my industry today: we don’t have representation.”

To strengthen the connection between alumni and students, Lui helped create SU Asian Pacific Islander American Plus, a collective of about 120 Asian American or international Asian alumni who advocate for current SU students. The collective is launching a mentorship program on Friday between alumni and students of Asian descent to support students on campus and throughout their careers.

“If we’re breaking ceilings, and we’re making big moves in our industries, we can then bring the students up with us and mentor them and give them guidance,” Lui said.

The mentorship program will pair a student with a graduate for three months, with initial pairings for current members happening Friday. Students will have the ability to learn about the industry from a professional and have a go-to person who understands what it’s like to be an Asian student on campus, said Jonathan Chan, a graduate of the Class of 2011.

The mentorship component is essential to carrying out the collective’s goals, which are to mentor their fellow alumni and students, be allies of people of color, establish a recorded history of students of Asian descent and support SU’s Asian and Asian American Studies program.

After the three-month period, the pair can decide whether they want to continue as mentor and mentee, and the mentorship can last a lifetime if the two connect well, Chan said.

SU APIA+ wants to be a bridge but not one that should not be abridged by class years, geographical distance, or cultural identities. We hope that fellow SU alumni and students are aware that our story started generations ago and there are unknowns that we have yet to realize. As we SUcceed to fulfill our mission, we hope that you SUpport our growth. Message or comment if you want to learn more.

A photo posted by suapiaplus

SU APIA+ began as a study group last summer between Lui and several alumni. The group wanted to educate themselves on how to be better allies for people of color after hearing about racist incidents at SU and across the country, as well as the #NotAgainSU movement.

A core group of 20 alumni members created the group’s name in October during their biweekly virtual meetings and promoted it throughout the winter. Since promoting the group on social media, 100 alumni have signed up to be general group members.

The group is also discussing programming to go along with the mentorship program. Chan said this group is important because there currently isn’t a form of connectivity between students and alumni of Asian descent.

“We’ve created this platform in order to empower students, as well as empower alumni,” Chan said.

Lui has experienced racism on SU’s campus, including catcalling. For her, having a group of alumni who shared similar experiences made her feel empowered to advocate for current students. The curriculum was mostly Euro-centric in architecture classes, and professors would ignore her concerns about it, she said.

In response, Lui co-founded the Society of Multicultural Architects and Designers, a club where students taught each other about the cultural influences that affect design. She also wrote her senior thesis about Asian communities and art.

“If I was trying to get the education I wanted, I’d have to go learn and teach myself,” she said. “I took my education in my own hands, basically.”

She has continued her advocacy in the SU community since, as she campaigned for SU’s Asian and Asian American Studies program in 2008 and has been an informal mentor to students.

To recruit students, group members of SU APIA+ reached out to student organizations such as Asian Students in America and the Syracuse Korean-American Student Association. While the initial pilot cohort does not have as many students as mentors, it’s a starting point that will allow them to expand in the future and test what works well in the program.

“I think that there will be some very happy students and alumni come next week,” Chan said.

Bonnie Kong, a member of SU APIA+ who graduated from SU in 2012, said one of her goals for the program is to broaden student outreach, which may require working with the university instead of student clubs. She’s excited to use her expertise to mentor students in liberal arts.

Chan wishes he had a program like SU APIA+ in college because he would’ve received more guidance about what to do with his career instead of depending on his own research. He’s looking forward to empowering students and giving them the guidance he wishes he received.

“It’s more so for us to be able to construct something that’s a little bit more formalized, and something that we want to be accountable for down the line to make sure that we are able to empower students,” Chan said. “That is something that I’m very excited for, for all of these students.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this post stated that Lui founded the Society of Multicultural Architects and Designers. She co-founded the club.

Published on April 11, 2021 at 10:49 pm

Contact Abby: akweiss@syr.edu | @abbyweiss_21