By Mikaila Rivas '26
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, a time to celebrate and recognize the many achievements this cultural group has accomplished, even with the struggles they have faced. Below are notable highlights of select individuals who have shown the world their talent and brought light to the AAPI community within the previous year.
Nymphia Wind:
Nymphia was the Season 16 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She is of Taiwanese descent and is the first East Asian drag queen to win the competition. Her win is an inspirational to all of those within the Queer AAPI community.
Michelle Yeoh:
Michelle was the first Asian woman to win for Best Actress during the 2023 Oscars. She received the award for her lead role in the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Michelle absolutely deserved this special award for her abilities on screen.
Chamari Athapaththu:
Chamari was the winner of the Women's Big Bash League Player of the Tournament Award in Australian Cricket. She was actually a replacement last-minute for the Sydney Thunder team, but her impressive skills have shined through.
New Jeans:
The popular K-pop music group New Jeans is known for their songs “Super Shy” and “New Jeans.” Last year, they broke the record on Spotify for being the fastest K-pop group to reach one billion streams, achieving this about 7 months after they debuted. New Jeans makes very catchy songs and it has been incredible to watch them grow.
Iam Tongi:
This teen singer from Hawaii was the first Pacific Islander to win American Idol. His performance of “Monsters” by James Blunt has received millions of views on YouTube and he was even able to perform the song with Blunt during the season finale. His smile lights up a room and his soulful voice continues to impress all.
I hope you were able to take away some achievements of the AAPI community from this article and I wish for many more to come.
Photos Courtesy of People and Timid Magazine
Sources: RNZ.com, DrawYourBox.com and @Impact
Edited by Catherine Polatidis '26 and Ms. Brilliant
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