By Hunter Wells

Located on the outskirts of campus, at 109 Hemenway St., the Asian American Center (AAC) once struggled to meet the challenge of enticing students, said Delia Cheung-Hom, the center’s director.

But the center has since grown into a place where students gather to hang out with friends and meet new people, Hom said. Laura Tolentino, a senior marketing and management major, is the student leader for the center. Her favorite part about the Center, she said is that it feels like a home away from home.

“All of us [at the center] have gotten really close,” she said. “The center has brought all groups of people – Chinese, Korean, Filipino – and brought us together. The directors make a point to say the center is for all students. It feels like a big family.”

In its three years on campus, the AAC has undergone several changes, including its move from the Curry Student Center, construction in the Hemenway building to fit more student offices and, most recently, a change in directors.

Having undergone these changes, the center has become an oft-used meeting space for several student groups and holds regular events that are open to the entire community. Staff and students at the center are now preparing for Asian American Heritage Week.

The center first opened its doors Feb. 22, 2005, and has been working to attract Northeastern’s Asian American community since.

“The Asian American population has been growing over the past decade at Northeastern and it’s one of the largest student populations on campus,” Hom said. “It makes sense that they need a place with services specifically for these students and for the rest of the campus to understand what it means to be an Asian American even if you’re [they’re] not.” Hom said she hopes the week, which starts Feb. 19, will heighten awareness of the center and give different Asian student groups a chance to focus on diversity, she said.

One event during the week will be a comedy show. There are also other activities planned aimed to help students explore their heritage

“Comedy has a universal appeal,” Hom said. “Hopefully this will get non-Asian American students involved as well.”

Also during Heritage Week, students will take pictures of themselves and fill out a document that says “I am