The Liberty High School Pan Asian Union (LHSPAU) aims to foster connections and celebrate diversity. The President of LHSPAU is Anaya Patil (she/her), 10; the Vice President is Yuzuka Fujikawa (she/her), 10; the Secretary is Nicole He (she/her), 10; and the Associate Secretary is Naomi Carter (she/her), 10.
On Feb. 11, LHSPAU hosted a guest speaker event, featuring Dr. Cynthia Chou and Dr. Dongwang Liu from the University of Iowa Center for Asian and Pacific Studies (CAPS).
“This event is about cultural exchange and inclusion, and we hope we can all learn something from our guest speakers, so we are able to better fulfill the vision of our club here at Liberty,” He said.
During the meeting, both speakers informed students about themselves, their studies, what CAPS does and their role in the program.
CAPS focuses on the major developments in the economically booming Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, CAPS coordinates all Asia-related activities at the University, initiates and promotes innovative research projects, provides teaching programs and promotes the study through public programs.
CAPS also provides multiple awards, including a public lecture series, a graduate fellowship award and faculty conference awards.
Dr. Chou is the Director of CAPS at the University of Iowa, the C. Maxwell & Elizabeth M. Stanley Family Chair of Asian Studies and a socio-cultural anthropologist.
(Mira Mannheimer)
“The position of Director has given me a very good understanding and personal connections within the field. I treasure the interactions I have been able to make,” Chou said.
Dr. Chou has lived around the world in Singapore, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Denmark and the U.S., pursuing both educational and research opportunities. They shared a variety of stories and insights into their research at the event.
“Anthropology has brought me all over the world. It is such a rewarding field, and I have gotten to know so many people. There are also tons of opportunities within the field of Asian studies,” Chou said.
Through Dr. Chou’s research in different countries, they have learned multiple languages, including English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Indonesian and Danish. They highlighted the importance of learning languages when studying different cultures.
“You need to learn the language of the place in order to be able to understand who you are studying,” Chou said. “Some accents can be easy, and some can be more difficult, but language is the key to understanding the world.”
Dr. Liu also spoke at the event. They are the Associate Director of the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies and a professor with the Department of Anthropology.
Dr. Liu came to study sociology in 1993 at Iowa State University after learning about the program in China. Previous to studying at Iowa State, they were an English instructor in China.
During the event, Dr. Liu shared details on the projects and study abroad programs they have aided with.
“It is quite a rewarding field. I got to know so many people and conduct so much research,” Liu said.
Throughout the event, Liberty students asked insightful questions and engaged with the speakers regarding their backgrounds in the field and how they recommend getting further involved in Asian-Pacific studies.
The Center for Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Iowa has an upcoming event on February 19th, 2026: “Translating Dreams: A Reading and Conversation with Young Korean Wordsmiths.”
