With over fifty different clubs, Apex High has always accounted for the diverse interests and backgrounds within its student population. However, two recently-founded clubs have helped provide a space specifically for South Asian students: South Asian Student Association and Apex Tadka! Keep reading to find out more about these clubs and what they have to offer.

South Asian Student Association (SASA)

The South Asian Student Association (SASA) focuses on highlighting South Asian languages, entertainment, and other aspects of the culture through group activities and discussions. They meet every other Wednesday in room 4105, and they have had three meetings thus far. Some recent activities they have done include watching South Asian movies and hosting a joint meeting with Apex High’s International Club to discuss their culture.

Ira Joshi, a board member for SASA, explained that the club’s purpose is to help students learn more about South Asian culture, specifically for South Asian students who may feel disconnected from their roots.

“There are a lot of South Asian students in the US today, and our school also has a significant number as well,” she stated. “With their cultural roots back home in the country their family is from, it becomes difficult to stay attached to your culture. This club was solely started with a vision of helping all students, whether South Asian or not, connect to South Asian culture.”

Although the club emphasizes cultural celebration, they also want to open discussions about issues within the South Asian community, including gender inequality, lack of awareness regarding LGBTQ+ issues in rural areas, and limited access to basic necessities like water or gas.

There is no strict membership process for SASA; if you are interested in becoming a member, simply show up to as many meetings as you can. SASA’s next meeting will be on November 30th at 2:30 PM in room 4105. To stay updated on their future meetings, be sure to follow them on Instagram @apexsasa or join their Remind using the code @33e2cg.

Apex Tadka

Founded by junior Ridthi Patel, Apex Tadka is Apex High’s newest Bollywood fusion dance team. Their main purpose is to create a space for all students to embrace a new style of dance as well as close the cultural gap that South Asian students may feel between American culture and their family’s culture.

“In today’s time, especially as South Asians growing up in the United States, we’re very distant from our homeland physically and emotionally too,” explained Ridthi when asked about why she decided to create Apex Tadka. “I just wanted to [create] something that students could use to grasp on to that culture…and explore it in a new way…”

The club’s name also encourages a blending of culture. In Hindi, the word “tadka” refers to the process of adding various spices to hot oil, which is standard in Indian cooking. In the context of the club’s name, “tadka” symbolizes the addition of “spice” to our school’s community and the blending of different cultures, specifically the different Indian subcultures, into one unified group.

Although Apex Tadka has only held their interest meeting so far, Ridthi hopes to create a tight-knit team of at least twelve dancers and put on performances at various school events. She also hopes to emphasize the importance of dance in maintaining mental and physical health.

“Something that I talked about during the [interest] meeting is that I want to incorporate… a small five-minute discussion every practice about how [dance] has impacted us, our physical health, our mental health, [and] how you can incorporate this on the daily to calm yourself down, make yourself feel better.”

Apex Tadka’s next meeting date is still to be determined although Ridthi has stated that they will definitely meet at least once a week, possibly on Thursdays or Fridays. If you are interested in becoming a member, be sure to fill out the membership form on the club’s Google Classroom (the code for their classroom is MLVZ4EI). All students, regardless of their dance experience, are eligible to join. The club also has open board positions for the roles of Vice President, Social Media Manager, Event Manager, and Music Mixer, as well as two open spots for choreographers. 

You can also stay updated on Apex Tadka’s meetings and performances by following them on Instagram @apextadka or by joining their Remind using the code @4C7ADA.

Overall, we are happy to have SASA and Apex Tadka as part of our many clubs at Apex High, and we cannot wait to see their contributions to our school’s community!