Heritage in Harmony: Asian and Pacific Islander club (API) Brings Students Together to Further Teach About Heritage.

By ALEX RIZO 

The Tower 

Lawrence Cademas Leading Manteca High school’s API dance routine at the High School’s Picnic event.

MANTECA- Asian and Pacific Islander club, also known as API, works in unity to bring students together and further teach about API’s culture, heritage, all while performing widely appreciated and eye-catching choreography. API’s newly elected and longtime member Lawrence Cademas has worked diligently and proved he’s worthy of the title, Club President.  

Cademas first joined API In freshman year and fell in love with the club going forward. He first attended East Union for his first year of high school where he joined API there, before transferring to Manteca High School in sophomore year and joining Manteca High’s API club instead. He adored the atmosphere that came with API as well as its community. Just being with people that share so many similarities and interests was enough for him. 

Manteca High’s API has an event at the University of the Pacific, this being the school’s picnic (HSP) event on November 1st. HSP is an event where surrounding school’s API clubs, Like East Union or Sierra’s for example, have friendly competitive dance competitions against each other. It’s a social event for every participating school’s API, a way to connect and network with other students of similar interests from other schools. 

Cademas has made his efforts known as the club's primary choreographer. He has been fascinated by choreography for years now, ever since the 8th grade. His passion first sparked after discovering K-pop, A genre of South Korean Music. Aside from the music, K-pop is very rooted in dance.  

Cademas has found his own style of dance, a fusion of styles that all complement each other. 

Asian and Pacific Islander club competing in last year’s High School’s Picnic event. 

 “The dance styles mainly lean towards street dance, hip hop, vogue, and a bit of waacking. So, it's like a mixture.” Cademas explained when asked about the topic. These styles have a heavy influence on pop culture and are vastly well known by many varying communities.  

Cademas always has fellow officers and club members in mind; He makes sure that the choreography and music are something that every participating member likes and enjoys just as much as he does. 

“I choose the music based off what I can see all the members of API, not just myself, liking. How it could fit to everyone’s tastes equally,” Cademas said. 

Of course, Cademas does not run API alone; he has his helpful officers at the ready. Hanna Palacio is Vice President alongside Cademas. She loves what she does for the club, from a helping hand during coordination for an event, to dealing with the club's finances; she does all she can to make sure API thrives.  

“I’m helping with all of the like finances of when it comes to shirts or merchandise,” said Palacio.  
 

API intends to do much more fundraising this year because they were unable to in prior years. 

“I feel like API contributes to sharing knowledge about our culture, our point of views, perspectives, because that's something we can offer, for other people that can't really see or want to learn from our side of the story” Cademas stated after being asked about how API contributes to Manteca High.  

Besides the flashy and showy performances, the members of API have so much culture to spread through their competitions and dances, and they make sure to do just that. They strive to make every API meeting and event feel welcoming and at home for everyone involved.  

“You don't have to be Asian or Pacific Islanders to join and it's still a ton of fun to get out there, to perform for everyone,” Cademas said. 

API is a family at heart. They will continue to unite people of different backgrounds and cultures no matter the circumstances. The club intends on spreading Asian and Pacific Islander culture and knowledge that will do just that.