In March, filmmaker Nuk Suwanchote, ’17, debuted “Horizon Identities: AAPI at UWT,” a new documentary exploring the Asian American and Pacific Islander student experience at the UW’s southernmost campus. Nearly one in four UW Tacoma students is Asian American or Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. The 30-minute film shares some of their stories and how their college journeys have shaped their friendships and their futures. Suwanchote and his team featured current and former students as well as faculty and campus leaders.
The film was produced by the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation, a local nonprofit that recognizes the 1885 event when, in a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment, Tacoma city leaders and community members forcefully expelled the city’s Chinese people. Today, with the mission of promoting civic harmony, the foundation celebrates the diverse, multicultural city Tacoma has become.