It has been over a decade since ITASA came to Princeton, and we’re so excited to have the privilege of hosting it on our campus again. Through a wide range of workshops and speakers, ranging from fun cultural events to discussions of Taiwan’s economic and political situations, the goal of the conference is to allow attendees to realize their immense potential, meet and befriend new people, and to inspire action that will better our community as a whole.
Our Vision: Taking it to the Top
For over half a decade, Taipei 101 has been hailed as an icon of Taiwan’s innovation, growth, and modernity. Considered one of the Seven New Wonders of the World and one of the Seven Wonders of Engineering by Newsweek and the Discovery Channel, respectively, the 1,671 foot tall building is a symbol of unity and pride. After visitors from all over the world take the 37-second elevator ride to the 89th floor observatory deck, they marvel at the city lights and bustling streets that stretch into distant green mountains.
It is this amazement and joy in our own identities that we aspire to bring to the 2011 ITASA East Coast Conference. In holding this conference, we aim to push past common stereotypes and categorizations and discover what exactly being Taiwanese American entails. Our goal is to inspire attendees to pursue individual and collective action, and to realize the influence that each one of them will have on the future.
We think our vision of the rising potential of Taiwanese Americans is reflected in our choice of theme and in every aspect of our diverse workshop and speaker selection. From sessions on academics to politics to music, our plan for the 2011 ITASA East Coast Conference seeks to demonstrate that ambition is worthwhile, that self-confidence is deserved, and that our shared customs are bonds that make us stronger. By highlighting successful Taiwanese Americans in the United States, we hope to illustrate the attanability of dreams. And of course, we hope that through our nightly entertainment, we can emphasize how learning is not a lesson that must be suffered through, but an opportunity to have fun.
In the end, our message is simple: we believe that, like the rise of Taiwan as an important international player or the construction of Taipei 101, each one of us can succeed in whatever we choose to pursue – we can all take it to the top.
ITASA
Formed in 1990, ITASA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to serve the young Taiwanese American community. It has been working tirelessly since to allow students to explore the perspectives that exist within the Taiwanese American Identity; empower participants with the resources to further develop their personal identities wherever they may go; activate our community; create a voice that represents us in a larger arena, making Taiwanese Americans an influential force in society; build unity and relationships amongst the Taiwanese American Student Associations of various schools; and guide participants towards becoming better leaders by redefining their TASAs and themselves.
ITASA holds a conference in the West, Mid-West, and East Coast at a different college each year. This year, it will be held at Princeton University, and like the elevator going up Taipei 101, we hope that this conference will awe and inspire the community, and show them that we can all take it to the top.
