The African Student Association (ASA) is a student-run organization on campus that offers students an opportunity to learn about African cultures while also providing them with a community. The organization invites all Iowa State students, regardless of country of origin, to attend meetings and join the club.
“We are a community where we share our values,” said Abdulla Haran, president of the ASA and a senior double majoring in computer engineering and political science. “This is where like-minded people can find their interests. Some people think this is all exclusive for people who are African, and I say no. If you are not African, you can still come. Join us because, in the end, you get information.”
The group offers bi-weekly meetings on Fridays in room 3204 of the Student Innovation Center, as well as some “out of meeting time” events.
Tarminta Sonkaliey, a sophomore in management information systems and vice president of the ASA, remembered the first day she joined the student organization.
“My first experience with ASA was going to DIS,” Sonkaliey said. “When I was a freshman, my goal was to find a community of African students on campus.”
Sonkaliey shared the story of her first interaction with the student organization, in which they picked her out from the crowd during the Center of ExCytement and invited her to join the club.
“I was so excited,” Sonkaliey said. “I was literally looking for something like this, and if [they] had not pulled me, I never would have found it. I feel like being a part of the ASA… it kind of forced me out of my shell because everyone there is very open to talking and all so expressive.”
Now, Sonkaliey has plans to be the organization’s president for the next academic year.
Towards the end of the academic year in April, the ASA plans to put on an event called “African Night.” The organization has put on this event in April for several years now and is excited about the turnout of this year’s African Night. The ASA has not released a finalized date for African Night yet, but they urge students to check their socials for updates on dates and times.
“My first meeting, I met people from 19 different countries,” said Selorm Ako, a sophomore in electrical engineering and public relations chair of the ASA. “It was so exciting, like now I have a community.”
To stay up to date on meeting times, events and all other information, follow the African Student Association’s Instagram page.
