Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Throughout the month of May, we’re celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. And what better way than to highlight voices from our very own community? Three AAPI team members from barre3 Columbus are taking over the b3 Magazine today to share their experiences cultivating meaningful relationships at barre3.
As a collective, we come together to share our story of finding a multiracial Asian American community at barre3 Columbus. We remind each other of what it means to be stronger together and practice authenticity. Read more about our individual stories below.
Rebecca
As a multiracial Filipina, there have been very few spaces where I have felt like I belonged. Working at barre3 Columbus has connected me with other multiracial Asian American women who I have been able to build strong relationships with. From working at the front desk or in the Play Lounge, to taking b3 Strength classes, or even being a part of a book club outside of barre3, we have been able to cultivate meaningful connections with one another. I am so grateful to be in a community with such amazing women!
Annie
Find a new group of friends? As an adult?!? At a fitness studio?
If you would have told me I would find a new group of friends as an adult at my local barre3 in upper Arlington, Columbus, I wouldn’t have believed you!
To set the scene, I am half Asian/half Caucasian with black curly hair and freckles! When my instructor, and now friend, Lisa told me she’s half Asian too, I knew I had found a kindred spirit!
While Lisa was earning her Ph.D. (how does she do it all?!), she would link her academic papers on her Instagram account. After reading her stories, I realized we shared a lot of similarities of being “othered” or keeping our heads down in an effort to fit in. Being one of the only half Asian kids in my small suburban town in central Florida, I could totally relate. Through Lisa’s friendship, she has introduced me to other Asians at our studio. I love seeing the diversity and moving along to the latest Taylor Swift hits while doing *just* one more step tap to flush it all out!
Lisa
Barre3 has been a place where I have been able to to feel seen, heard, and validated because of multiracial, Filipina, and Asian American identities. One of my favorite parts about my barre3 story is finding community with other multiracial women of color at the studio. Through our time cleaning Core Balls, texting outside the studio, and in our social spaces, we engage in authentic dialogue about what it means to navigate liminal spaces as mixed Asian American women of color. I also feel support and love from our barre3 community at large. We have co-created a barre3 book club and have chosen a novel written by an Asian American author for the month of May. It means so much to belong to this community.
Throughout the month of May, we’re celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. And what better way than to highlight voices from our very own community? Three AAPI team members from barre3 Columbus are taking over the b3 Magazine today to share their experiences cultivating meaningful relationships at barre3.
As a collective, we come together to share our story of finding a multiracial Asian American community at barre3 Columbus. We remind each other of what it means to be stronger together and practice authenticity. Read more about our individual stories below.
Rebecca
As a multiracial Filipina, there have been very few spaces where I have felt like I belonged. Working at barre3 Columbus has connected me with other multiracial Asian American women who I have been able to build strong relationships with. From working at the front desk or in the Play Lounge, to taking b3 Strength classes, or even being a part of a book club outside of barre3, we have been able to cultivate meaningful connections with one another. I am so grateful to be in a community with such amazing women!
Annie
Find a new group of friends? As an adult?!? At a fitness studio?
If you would have told me I would find a new group of friends as an adult at my local barre3 in upper Arlington, Columbus, I wouldn’t have believed you!
To set the scene, I am half Asian/half Caucasian with black curly hair and freckles! When my instructor, and now friend, Lisa told me she’s half Asian too, I knew I had found a kindred spirit!
While Lisa was earning her Ph.D. (how does she do it all?!), she would link her academic papers on her Instagram account. After reading her stories, I realized we shared a lot of similarities of being “othered” or keeping our heads down in an effort to fit in. Being one of the only half Asian kids in my small suburban town in central Florida, I could totally relate. Through Lisa’s friendship, she has introduced me to other Asians at our studio. I love seeing the diversity and moving along to the latest Taylor Swift hits while doing *just* one more step tap to flush it all out!
Lisa
Barre3 has been a place where I have been able to to feel seen, heard, and validated because of multiracial, Filipina, and Asian American identities. One of my favorite parts about my barre3 story is finding community with other multiracial women of color at the studio. Through our time cleaning Core Balls, texting outside the studio, and in our social spaces, we engage in authentic dialogue about what it means to navigate liminal spaces as mixed Asian American women of color. I also feel support and love from our barre3 community at large. We have co-created a barre3 book club and have chosen a novel written by an Asian American author for the month of May. It means so much to belong to this community.
