MFA1 Student Carissa Pintello has established the first student chapter of the Asian American Pacific Islander Design Alliance (AAPIDA) at NYSID. AAPIDA is the first and only professional organization that engages, promotes, and empowers Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders working within the home and design industries to foster visibility, collaboration, and representation industry-wide. The national organization was co-founded by Jessica Davis, Joanne Hallare, Young Huh, Go Kasai, William Li, Jean Liu, and Benjamin Reynaert in 2022, and now has chapters across the country. One founding member of AAPIDA, Young Huh, is also a member of NYSID’s Board of Trustees. 

Carissa Pintello is serving as the President of the NYSID student chapter, also known as AAPIDA x NYSID. The Vice President is Carmen Cruz, also in the MFA1 program. They are currently recruiting members and additional leaders, and planning what they call a “fun, mingly and delicious” launch event for September 2024. 

Says Pintello, “I hope that the AAPIDA student chapter will provide our AAPI students a community of support and empowerment. Secondly and to the benefit of all, regardless of ethnicity, the goal is to grow our understanding of Asian designers, design, and the impact both have had on historical styles.”

Adds Cruz, “As minorities, many of us have become desensitized to the feeling of being unseen, and therefore unimportant. To change that, I believe it starts with gathering like-minded members of the community and having a conversation about it.”

“We are so thrilled about the launch of the student chapter of AAPIDA at NYSID,” says Young Huh, a Founding Member of AAPIDA and a NYSID Trustee. “One of AAPIDA’s core missions is mentorship. When I started out in design, there were so few Asian designers and I very much wished to have a mentor who looked like me. We were motivated to start AAPIDA when there was a slew of hate crimes against Asians during COVID. Now AAPIDA members find so much support from each other professionally and emotionally.  We are thrilled that students at NYSID also want to support each other and we want to be there for them.”

“So many of us are the first in our families to enter design or a creative field,” says Jessica Davis, the current president of AAPIDA.  “Because of that, it is extra important that we work with students to provide mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for them to see what success looks like as an Asian American or Pacific Islander in the design industry.”  

What Will AAPIDA x NYSID Do?  

The NYSID student chapter will be a branch of the national organization in the dissemination of information, extension of goals, and collaboration in events. Additionally, they will support AAPI students to feel safe in their cultural and ethnic identities and improve AAPI student experiences on campus and beyond.

“A dream we have is that, through AAPIDA, Asian design and its influence on Western style will be better credited and documented for students,” says Pintello. “We would love to explore authentic design principles and architecture like Feng Shui, the Korean Hanok, the Japanese Machiya, Southeast Rumah Gadang, Longhouses, Buddhist Architecture, Hindu Architecture, the influence of Islamic Architecture in Asia, and the list goes on.”

Who Can Join & How to Join 

All students, regardless of ethnicity/identity, are welcome to join the AAPIDA Student Chapter, whether as AAPIs or allies. Students can email aapida@nysid.edu to join, and follow the student chapter on Instagram @AAPIDA.NYSID, along with the national organization @aapi_designalliance. The group is also interested in collaborating with alumni and companies. 

“I have come to learn that in isolation, we are overlooked minorities,” says Pintello. ”But together, we are power, education, support, empathy, and healing. My dream for the AAPIDA Student Chapter is that as years pass and new students lead, this organization will not only add depth and richness to NYSID, but the design scene at large.”