Cal Poly Alumni is excited to announce the launch of the Cal Poly Alumni — APIDA Community, which stands for Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi (South Asian) American. This identity-based affinity community will connect alumni to each other, to the university (including current students) and use the collective wisdom and resources of Cal Poly APIDA alumni to support the next generation of Cal Poly graduates. 

Analyn Paz (Business Administration, ‘03) is one of the dedicated alumni volunteers behind this new community. 

"I'm Filipino American, so going to Cal Poly for the first time, leaving my bubble of growing up in the east side of San Jose in the Bay Area, it was a culture shock," she said.  

Eventually, Paz found a group that helped her foster a sense of belonging, the PCE (Pilipino Cultural Exchange), which she described as “my home away from home.” That sense of connection is what she is hoping to recapture through this new community.   

"I want to create an APIDA community that feels proud to have a strong network of support, and to bring people together," she explained. 

Fellow volunteer Brian Luu (Kinesiology, ‘23) said he’s excited for what the community can offer other APIDA alums. 

He explained, "I think the hardest thing to do at Cal Poly is to find where you belong. If there's anything we can do to make that journey a little easier for the new students who are coming in, as well as for the students who have left, then I'm ready to put in the work to make that happen."

During his time as a student, Luu was very involved with the Thai-Vietnamese Student Association, first as a member and later as an officer on the board.   

"I am Vietnamese by heritage. I am Vietnamese by culture. I speak the language, I can read, I can write, but none of that matters if I can't do that with other people," Luu said. "So, when I found this organization, I was really excited to join."

The Cal Poly Alumni Engagement office is proud to offer this new alumni affinity community, which is now one of 13 within the affinity network created to offer new ways for alumni to connect with each other and give back to students. 

"As we continue to expand our Cal Poly Alumni Association Affinity Network, I am grateful for the alumni leaders who have been working hard behind the scenes to lay the foundation for this new group,” said Kelly Owens-Dávalos, Director of Alumni Programs and Engagement in the office of Alumni Engagement. “We're thrilled to formally launch the APIDA community and provide new opportunities for alumni, students and supporters to celebrate their Cal Poly Pride in this culturally diverse community."

The new affinity group will have a soft launch event on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival & Parade, where the Cal Poly Mustang Band has performed for the past several years. In May, during APIDA Heritage Month, the group will have its official debut event at the Alumni House on the Cal Poly campus.  

Luu is excited to finally see this alumni community come together and is hopeful that it will get an enthusiastic response from Cal Poly APIDA alums.  

"We are here to help you. We are here to work with you, so come seek us out and join us," he said. 

The Cal Poly Alumni —APIDA Community is excited to host their first event on Saturday, Feb. 15, in San Francisco, in celebration of the Lunar New Year.

To receive more information about the Cal Poly Alumni — APIDA Community, complete the interest form to be added to the mailing list and join their group on Cal Poly Career Connections.