Tucked away on the third floor of the Lory Student Center, the Asian Pacific American Cultural Center is filled with the smell of fragrant herbal tea and the sound of chatter. Students curl up in beanbags, perch on couches and sip tea from steaming cups. Five to 6 p.m. every Tuesday, the center hosts an event called Chai to Understand that is designed to foster awareness and educate the community on important topics.

This past week, the conversation focused on the intersectionality of multiple identities, with a focus on queer identities. The guest speaker, Kenna Waldrop, is an employee at the Pride Resource Center. Waldrop spoke on how their identity impacts their life.

“My views and the way I navigate the world are undeniably informed by my culture, gender, sexuality, skin color and religion,” Waldrop said. “If we don’t consider and respect each other’s intersectionality, then we’re really only listening to half the story.”

“Your perspectives are going to be challenged, and you’re going to make mistakes. That’s completely fine. Again, learn from them with education, listening, self-reflection and utilizing the privilege that you have in certain identities to help other marginalized identities.” -Kenna Waldrop, Pride Resource Center employee

The gathering was small and highly personal and provided students space for reflection and conversation. The student coordinator for the event, Lilianna Nono, said that over the past few years, the event has shifted to meet student needs.

“It used to be called tea time, and then it was Chai to Understand,” Nono said. “Tea time was more to get to know staff and get more comfortable on campus, while Chai to Understand is more discussing issues and topics surrounding the … community.”

For students who attend the discussions, these chats provide a chance to explore topics that impact themselves, their communities and their lives. The busy schedules of college students can make it hard to mobilize communities, congregate and take time to discuss these important topics.

“I actually went a lot last semester,” said Medhaa Lakshman, a Colorado State University student. “Unfortunately, this semester, I haven’t been able to go to that many because everything’s on Tuesday. So I decided to attend the ones with topics that I like.”

The conversations at Chai to Understand are slow and thoughtful. The topic, although a guide for the conversation, does not define the entire event. The night also focused on what it means for the event to be accessible to the student body.

Soleil Gonzalez, Pride Resource Center senior program coordinator, spoke about barriers that can get in the way of students having access to the resource centers.

“We constantly have iterations of the way in which we can create spaces for all folks, and we can say we welcome all, but what does that even mean in practice?” Gonzalez said. “I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all solution because that feels very curated and calculated. I think what we forget is that we’re all humans, and it’s important for us to even have that shared experience.”

Even those who don’t have personal experience with queer, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American or Southwest Asian North African identities can find community and conversation at these events. The events are designed to foster conversation and provide space for new ideas and identities.

“Your perspectives are going to be challenged, and you’re going to make mistakes,” Waldrop said. “That’s completely fine. Again, learn from them with education, listening, self-reflection and utilizing the privilege that you have in certain identities to help other marginalized identities.”

Despite differing opinions across campus and the upcoming election, the night focused on connection and understanding. Gonzalez gave her advice for students seeking to understand other cultures.

“And that is what’s important in these spaces: You can express yourself authentically,” Gonzalez said. “You also have to tune in to the environment, to the impact, to the experiences, to the knowledge and the culture that other folks are also coming in with, and that can be really challenging.”

Reach Ella Dorpinghaus at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.