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Intercultural Affairs Student Groups

 Armenian Student Association

The Armenian Student Association is a non-profit organization that fosters and promotes Armenian culture and heritage to the Pepperdine Community. Furthermore, the Armenian Student Association seeks to raise efforts to bring about an awareness of the Armenian Community in the Malibu and Los Angeles area, by providing a space where Armenian-American undergraduates can connect with their roots, network with one another, and give back to their communities. Pepperdine ASA strives to cultivate an understanding and appreciation of Armenian history, heritage, and culture through social, philanthropic, and educational activities.

Contact: Siran Iskanian at siran.iskanian@pepperdine.edu.
Advisor: Courtenay Tallings

 Black Student Association

The Black Student Association's mission is to promote unity and cultural awareness, as well as to expose the Pepperdine community to the unique and universal qualities and traits of Black cultures. BSA is also focused on providing a safe space for our Black students to express their thoughts and opinions during their time here at Pepperdine. BSA is committed to encouraging lives of leadership and excellence for all students and to developing each member culturally, personally, socially, spiritually and academically.

Contact: Olivia Baker at olivia.noellbaker@pepperdine.edu or Alexandria Cordova at alex.cordova@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Julie Quarles

 

 Blue and Orange Indonesian Society

The Blue and Orange Indonesian Society club aims to build and strengthen relationships in the Pepperdine Indonesian community as well as promote cultural awareness and diversity to the Pepperdine Campus. We aim to strengthen our unity as Indonesian nationals at Pepperdine.

Contact: Audrey Hartono at audrey.hartono@pepperdine.edu.

Advisor: Scot McClamma

 Middle Eastern Student Association

The new Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA) club exists to acquaint Pepperdine University’s community with Middle Eastern people and their culture, promoting the interests of the Middle Eastern students at Pepperdine University and helping students better integrate into the diverse Pepperdine community. MESA strives to create an atmosphere of friendship & support by forming a closely-knit Middle Eastern community on campus and enabling students to engage in conversations regarding current events in the Middle East, raising awareness for them on campus and beyond, and helping students collaborate to educate and learn about Middle Eastern history, art, and current affairs.

Contact: Melanie Tadros at melanie.tadros@pepperdine.edu

Advisors: Amanda Rizkallah and David Simonowitz

 Chinese Students & Scholars Association

The Chinese Students & Scholars Association (CSSA) is the first Chinese organization serving the growing Chinese-American community at Pepperdine University and is dedicated to improving cultural awareness on the campus as well as providing support for those who come from a common background. Our purpose is "to promote better understanding and identification with the Chinese (Chinese-American) culture and heritage. It is our passion to act as a uniting force for all students and serve as a catalyst for positive action across all cultural groups."

Contact: Christina Bao at christina.bao@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Liang (Joy) Qiao

 

 Crossroads GSA

Crossroads Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) is a student-run organization that provides a safe space where all LGBTQ+ students and allies can gain loving support and engage in dialogue around LGBTQ+ matters. In a community where depression and loneliness are high, Crossroads seeks to provide an open space where LGBTQ+ students and their allies can challenge themselves and others in hopes of bringing confidence and self-understanding to their lives. Crossroads strives to promote sensitivity, to foster tolerance, and to encourage the discussion of Biblical, spiritual, cultural, and social issues pertaining to the LGBTQ+ community. Crossroads seeks to address misunderstanding, exclusion, and aversive homophobia while also challenging negative stereotypes.

Contact: Joe Heinemann at joe.heinemann@pepperdine.edu 
Advisor: Steve Rouse

 

 Feminist Club

The Feminist Club strives to break-down negative connotations around feminism such as those that assume the movement is associated with female superiority. To do this we hope to uplift and empower all sexes and place emphasis on issues that are most prevalent today such as derogatory name-calling, restrictions placed on men when expressing emotion, double standards, the glass ceiling, general toxic-masculinity and the strict image of an acceptable man, etc. We seek to create a safe environment that encourages open communication and we hope to unite all members by helping women in obvious need of help. We plan to do this by partnering with organizations who make efforts to resolve problems such as domestic abuse, sex trafficking, and so on. Our goal is to create an official place of union for the feminist movement on campus and increase awareness about the hardship imposed by societal conditioning in efforts to make progress and minimize prejudices that inhibit people from achieving self-actualization. This club is inactive for the Fall 2023 semester.

Advisor: To be announced. 

 First Generation Club

The First-Generation Club is a club where first-generation college students and allies of first-generation college students come together to create an empowering and supportive community. Through social events, partnering with fellow faculty, staff, and programs on Seaver Campus, and through each other, success for everyone is attainable.

Contact: Kimberly Banda at kimberly.banda@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Marissa Davis

 Hawaiian Club

The Hawaiian Club aims to educate, engage, and bring the unique "island" culture to Seaver College students through enriching experiences and programs geared towards promoting awareness and respect towards the Hawaiian Culture. In building an understanding of the diverse community of our university and the world, we aim to prepare culturally competent graduates for purposeful lives devoted to Christian discipleship, service, mercy, and justice in local, national, and global contexts.

Contact: Cora Lau at cora.lau@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: To be announced.

 

 Indian Student Association

The Indian Student Association aims to bring awareness and respect to South Asian nationalities at Pepperdine University. This is done so with the organization's purpose of educating the community about the rich Indian heritage and culture, as well as providing student opportunities by immersing them within a different culture through promoting activities such as Diwali and Holi.

Contact: Harleen Bal at harleen.bal@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Sharon Wakio

 

 Indigenous People's Club

The Indigenous People's Club (IPC) is an on-campus organization where undergraduate students at Pepperdine University can come together and immerse themselves within the Indigenous community. By providing enriching events and activities, the club hopes students will grow in advocacy, inclusively, socially, and in leadership. From this, active members become better stewards of change in a growing/diverse world.

Contact: Cheyenne Rosete at cheyenne.rosete@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Bailey Berry

 

 Nikkei Student Union

The Nikkei Student Union (NSU, formerly Japanese Student Union) is an organization that provides students opportunities to interact with each other and share the culture of Japan, which may allow students to broaden their diverse perspectives.  JSU will be hosting heritage events on campus, such as sushi nights and game nights, planning some activities off campus, communicating with Japanese clubs at other Southern California campuses, and providing career opportunities for students who are interested in working globally between the U.S. and Japan. We are open to any student regardless of cultural background and strive to develop the Japanese community at Pepperdine University.

Contact: Caroline Sun at caroline.sun@pepperdine.edu, Taha Sikder at taha.sikder@pepperdine.edu, or Natsuko Ichikawa at natsuko.ichikawa@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Mike Sugimoto

 

 Jewish Student Association

The new Jewish Student Association serves to provide a community for students of all backgrounds, including Jewish students, and their peers, to connect with one another, share experiences, and celebrate their culture and traditions together. It also promotes Jewish culture and traditions on campus while aiming to foster interfaith dialogue and understanding. The JSC will also choose to focus on social justice issues that are important to the Jewish community.

Contact: Nate Alpern at nate.alpern@pepperdine.edu  and Kirill Solovyev at kirill.solovyev@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Andrea Harris

 Korean Student Association

The Korean Student Association (KSA) seeks to promote cultural awareness by sharing the Korean heritage and by fostering an understanding of Korean culture. KSA provides an avenue for all students with a common interest and desire to know more about Korean culture by fostering an environment through hosting campus-wide activities that pertain to Korean culture and convocations and promoting cultural awareness. The primary objective of KSA is to inspire students to grow in their identity, sense of community, and/or understanding of Korean culture.

Contact: Joonil Kim at joonil.kim@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Dongkuk Lim

 Latinx Student Alliance

The Latinx Student Alliance (LSA) is an ethnically- and socially-based organization that is designed to encourage the appreciation for diversity and the pursuit of cultural awareness. We provide the entire Pepperdine community, including both Latinx and non-Latinx students, with the opportunity to experience, celebrate, and embrace the Latino culture on campus.

Contact: Sofia Reyes at sofia.reyes@pepperdine.edu or Ethan Barragan at ethan.barragan@pepperdine.edu 
Advisor: Ame Cividanes

 Neurodiversity Student Association

The new Neurodiversity Student Association exists to provide a space where all neurodiverse students and allies can gain loving support and engage in the dialogue of neurodiverse matters. It also strives to promote sensitivity foster tolerance, and encourage the discussion of Biblical, spiritual, cultural and social issues pertaining to the neurodiversity community. And finally, the NSA engages in service projects in the Los Angeles community related to the well-being of the neurodiversity community and people as a whole, which affirms Pepperdine’s mission by preparing students for lives of purpose, service, and leadership.

Contact: Joshua Pitney at joshua.pitney@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Steve Rouse

 Pepperdine Step Team

Pepperdine Step Team strives to create a community where artistic expression belongs to everyone seeking personal growth through the art of dance. Step Team not only encourages an outlet of expression, comfort, and creativity, but we also seek to empower and educate those on campus about other cultures and forms of dance.

Contact: Mia Adu-gyamfi at mia.adugyamfi@pepperdine.edu

Advisor: Danielle Minke

 Pilipino American Student Association

In Tagalog, Pakikisama means 'camaraderie' or 'the ability to get along with others'. The Pilipino American Student Association (PASA) actively strives to promote diversity on Pepperdine's campus by sharing the culture and heritage of the Filipino people while inviting students, faculty, and staff to partake in our traditions. We hope to create a community that celebrates cultural awareness and unites in each other's differences through purpose, service, and leadership.

Contact: Ethan Chuck at ethan.chuck@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Louise Chan

 Rotaract International

Rotaract International is a service club dedicated to community and international service for young men and women ages 18 to 30. Its membership totals over 184,000 in more than 8,000 clubs worldwide. Rotaract clubs are self-governing and self-supporting and can be either university- or community-based. Individual Rotary clubs sponsor Rotaract clubs and offer guidance and support, making the Rotaract clubs true "partners in service" and key members of the Rotary family.

Contact: Stuti Aahana at stuti.aahana@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Katherine Anderson

 

 Taiwanese Student Association

The Taiwanese Student Association (TSA) serves to unify the Taiwanese community within Pepperdine, engaging with the general Pepperdine community by holding important cultural events and philanthropic events to the Taiwanese community. TSA creates spaces for learning in Pepperdine about the underrepresented culture and the key roles of the country’s presence among the global community and establishes connections with the Taiwanese community in the Greater Los Angeles area.

Contact: Athena Chuang at athena.chuang@pepperdine.edu
Advisor: Julie Quarles

 

Connect With Us

Howard A. White Center (HAWC)
Intercultural Affairs Office
310.506.4244
ica@pepperdine.edu