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For poetry, it’s snaps. For golf, it’s golf claps. For most other events, it’s applause. But at Mr. ASIA 2022, the crowd showed their appreciation vocally at every possible moment, for performers, for contestants and most of all, for their love of being Asian.

“I love talking about my Asian heritage,” Kyne, a Filipina drag queen and guest judge for Mr. ASIA, said in a post-show interview. “I think events like this, that take pride in being Asian, are so important because I think it’s so important for us to remember where we came from and who we are.”

On Friday at Schine Underground, Mr. ASIA 2022 was full of dancing, singing and warmth for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Asian Students in America (ASIA) has hosted this pageant since 2017 to bring attention to the current issues revolving around the AAPI community at Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF, said Bessie Chen, president of ASIA.

ASIA invited two guest judges, Kyne and Ryan Bergara, to be a part of the celebration. In addition to drag and being a YouTuber, Kyne also teaches math on TikTok. The ASIA executive board wanted to include someone who challenged traditional perceptions of an Asian man, Chen said. Bergara, who was set to be a judge for Mr. ASIA in 2020 before the pandemic required the event to be canceled, is a Mexican, Japanese and Filipino actor and producer who created the popular show, “BuzzFeed Unsolved.”

The night started out as contestants Anson Lin, Lawrence Xu, Emanuel Cho and Justine Serdoncillo took to the stage to introduce themselves. Most expressed that they were nervous about competing in a pageant — it was hard to make out their exact words because the crowd was thunderous with support for them.

To be a contestant for Mr. ASIA, students must be nominated at the beginning of the spring semester. From there, the ASIA e-board conducts interviews, and the finalized group of contestants are notified in March.

The event featured traditional aspects of a pageant, including a talent and Q&A portion. Additionally, dance and music performances highlighted the diversity in talent in the AAPI community.

During his Q&A session, Lin said he defies American-made stereotypes of Asians — that they’re especially smart and hardworking — by just being an average Joe, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Furthermore, he said that his confidence as an Asian man and even his security in his fashion choices is what this pageant is all about.

“I wear what I want; I don’t really care what people think,” Lin said. “I’m confident in who I am and what I wear.”

Senior Lia Margolis sang “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande, and to the beat of the song, the crowd swayed their phone flashlights in the air. Later on in the show, sophomore Ji Soo Shin sang “Eat” by Zion.T. When the audio to the song malfunctioned, she continued to sing — a cappella, which the cheering audience adored.

Cho’s time in the Q&A spotlight focused on combating stereotypes and challenging norms through representation. While Asians are overrepresented in STEM fields, Cho wanted to see more AAPI representation in his own interests, specifically construction, the field he hopes to enter after college.

“Apparently, a lot of Asians aren’t known to be hands-on,” Cho said. “But I am! And I wish to see that.”

Danny Kahn | Design Editor

In between pageant portions, solo dancer and junior Joyce Chen lit up the stage with her trendy, modern dance moves, and members of Kappa Phi Lambda, an Asian-interest sorority, did the same. Shouting at the top of their lungs and pumping fists in the air, the crowd never ran out of energy or love for the performers.

Serdoncillo’s advice to Asian men struggling to be confident is to challenge and set goals for yourself. In his Q&A, he said that confidence can be built, and it’s possible for every Asian man out there.

“For me, it’s being in Mr. ASIA, and me being here right now and talking to you guys about this,” he said. “Which, honestly, it makes me scared at first, but it also makes me confident that honestly, I can be on stage and not be afraid.”

XCUSE, a new dance group that focuses on East Asian choreography and discography, put on quite the show as the audience hyped them up. Afterwards, with their rhythm and synchronized moves, Black Reign Step Team dominated the night — it was maybe the first time the audience was quiet, as they eagerly anticipated Black Reign’s next move.

In addition to eating his favorite foods from home, Xu celebrates his cultural identity by continuing to speak Chinese, even in predominantly white spaces like SU. Additionally, during his Q&A, Xu addressed the recent rise in violent crime against the AAPI community.

“I think your first gut feeling is to react with the same amount of hate towards society, towards the people that caused these hate crimes, but I ask everyone to try to make it a peaceful approach,” Xu said.

While the men didn’t compete for certain countries, each contestant represented a different group on campus, Chen said. Xu is an international student, Serdoncillo is an international student and active member of the Filipino community on campus, Cho attends SUNY-ESF, and Lin is a freshman.

At the end of the night, audience members, performers and contestants alike sat on the edges of their seats as they waited for Mr. ASIA 2022 to be announced. Serdoncillo came away with the crown, and there were smiles on every face in the room.

“I think that being an Asian doesn’t just mean food, clothes, music or other stuff,” he said. “It’s also about our personalities as well, and Asian love is loving unconditionally.”

Published on April 11, 2022 at 1:31 am