the best colleges and universities for aapi students: loyola marymount

This month, to kick off the school year, I'm partnering with Asian Pacific Americans for Progress to bring you a very special list of The Best Colleges and Universities for AAPI Students. Last week and this week, we're profiling the top ten best schools for AAPI student activism (in no particular order). Today's campus is...

Loyola Marymount University
Private University
Location: Los Angeles, California
Founded: 1911
Enrollment: 5,500
API population: 12%
Interesting fact: In 2006, LMU hosted the National APA Women's Forum 10th Anniversary Gathering "Advancing APA Women's Rights: A Decade of Building Power, Justice & Community." AAPI student leaders at LMU worked with NAPAWF to convene over 300 AAPI feminist activists and allies from across the nation to discuss and discuss and formulate strategic action to address issues like human trafficking, reproductive justice, immigrant rights, and ending violence against women.

"I want you to know that my involvement in AAPI student organizations at LMU has been made of not only numerous events and programs, but also friendships and dialogues with so many amazing people, students and faculty alike. I love love love being an LMU student because I love being part of the AAPI community here." - A Nominator

Grounded in its Jesuit institutional mission of social justice, LMU offers the space and resources for AAPI students to develop critical consciousness and leadership skills as activists. From dynamic staff (Dr. Michelle Ko) and student fellows at the Asian Pacific Student Services (APSS) office to the Asian American Studies program, which is the largest among Jesuit Catholic colleges, AAPI students are encouraged to become engaged community members and leaders through several visible programs and events.

Once a month, the APSS team coordinates Third Tuesdays, which brings AAPI musicians, artists, activists, and cultural figures to campus for a night of education and entertainment. Headliners at Third Tuesdays bring cultural/social/political awareness to campus with their appearances. Another APSS program is the Power Trip, which is an empowering series of field trips for students to visit ethnic enclaves throughout Southern California with a focus on dialogue and reflection about the histories and current realities of these communities.

In the 1990s, LMUs AAPI numbers experienced a 50% drop. In response, the AAPI community worked to get the University to hire an undergraduate admissions liaison for AAPI recruitment. Also, students, staff, and faculty have worked collectively to coordinate outreach programs including Preview Days and Overnights for prospective AAPI students. Efforts have also aimed to diversify the ethnic representation of AAPI students at LMU. The successes of these efforts have resulted in increasingly diverse AAPI students on campus and the emergence of many more AAPI student organizations.

AAPI students have also organized voter registration efforts and even phone banked last year against Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage. Way to fight for equality even in the context of a Catholic college, where LGBT rights are not exactly supported!

LMU is a wonderful environment to develop transformational leaders within the API community. With the backing of a university mission that encourages social justice, students are constantly encouraged to engage. And they do, which is why they're in the top ten! To see the rest of the Best Colleges and Universities for AAPI Students, go here.