Maywood resident Nyaari Kothiya conducts summer research on Asian and Asian American experience

Kothiya is a junior biochemistry and math major at Hamilton College

Clinton, NY (09/01/2021) — Maywood resident and Hamilton College junior Nyaari Kothiya was part of a summer research group that examined the social relevance of Asian and Asian American film. The project, which originated last winter, ultimately became a nearly 100-page paper written by Kothiya and two other students, and this summer the work involved 11 students, three professors, and several other members of the Hamilton community. The project was supported by Hamilton's Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center.

Kothiya and other students watched a number of Asian and Asian-American movies and dissected key themes, in addition to relaying personal narratives concerning their individual experiences being Asian or Asian American. This summer, along with eight more students, they turned their attention to Hamilton itself by examining the experiences of Asian and Asian Americans at Hamilton from a holistic standpoint.

Three teams of students each focused on a different topic: historical research on Asian and Asian Americans at Hamilton; a look at statistics from the College's Office of Institutional Research; and, a collection of personal narratives.

"We spent two weeks, with meetings three times a week, trying to talk about critical race theory," Kothiya said. "In order to study race, you have to know what race is and how it came to be."

Their combined work will be displayed on a website, Asians at Hamilton, which is still under development. Team three said they are focusing on gathering and editing interviews, adding that all the groups have been developing a base of knowledge with which to inform further research.

Though it is still fairly early in the process, they expect to see plenty of common themes emerge in the personal narratives. Reflecting on their own time at Hamilton, the students noted that the Asian and Asian American student experiences tend to vary by person, with some feeling more supported and comfortable than others. They recently concluded a survey of Asians and Asian Americans on campus that collected information on their experiences.

With this variation in mind, the group plans to propose steps that can be taken to improve, across the board, life on the hill for Hamilton's Asian and Asian-American students. For this, they will also consult alumni and faculty, in order to design a thoughtful and thorough way forward. As with everything that will be coming out of this project, a plan for "what's next" is included under a designated tab on the website.

Nyaari Kothiya is a graduate of Paramus Catholic High School

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