DeKALB – In honor of its 20-year anniversary, NIU’s Asian American Resource Center hosted a celebration event from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday.

A group of around 15 people attended the event. Food was catered from Thai Pavilion consisting of pad see ew, rice and egg rolls, along with a cake celebrating the anniversary.

Christina Carpio, the associate director of the AARC, started the event off by talking about how the AARC got its start.

“The AARC was born out of student activism and Asian students telling administration that they needed space. They needed a home away from home,” Carpio said. “They wanted faculty and staff who looked like them to understand their perspectives.”

During the event, a viewing of the Triple A Fashion Show from 2005 was shown on a television screen. The Triple A Fashion Show was an annual fashion show that was hosted by the Asian American Resource Center, which was formerly known as the Asian American Association, where participants could model clothes for charity.

Carpio said the AARC is a resource for everyone.

“Some things that we’re also trying to start with our students are art exhibits. We’re just, like, a resource for everybody, for Asian American students, but for all students to also learn about Asian and Asian-American culture, community topics and experiences,” Carpio said.

Students at the event talked with their friends while enjoying food and celebrating the AARC.

Numa Samnani, a senior kinesiology major, said she is grateful for the AARC.

“I feel like if this place didn’t exist, and I didn’t have a place to go, I wouldn’t have a social life,” Samnani said.

Matthew Caro, a junior psychology major, said the 20th anniversary is a significant milestone for the AARC.

“I think that it’s really cool just because we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary. I mean, it’s a huge milestone, especially for us to see how far we’ve come,” Caro said. “I kind of know a little bit of our history and where we started off and being able to celebrate the 20th anniversary here in this environment. It’s a big deal.”

Throughout April, for Asian American Heritage Month, the AARC is hosting numerous events. The AARC hosted a Solar New Year painting event and will host a 20th anniversary luncheon along with an end of the year BBQ.

For more information about the AARC’s events, students can visit their website.