A staring contest — possibly one of the first games we ever learned how to play. The goal is to out-stare your opponent.  

As young children, this game brought out light-hearted joy and competitive spirits. The Asian Pacific Islander Desi American  Student Union decided to spark some of these light-hearted memories throughout campus with their own staring contest.

On Tuesday, March 25, APIDA, formally known as the Asian Student Association, hosted a staring contest, with the winner walking away with sore eyes, a free t-shirt and a $50 cash prize.

Jason DuBois, the president of APIDA, was thrilled about the event, especially since the original idea started as a joke last year; a tournament-style staring contest, where 16 enter and only one wins. 

“I had to make sure that I could convince them it would be an exciting event and then also that APIDA was the right group to hold it,” DuBois said. 

Alyssa McDonald, vice president of APIDA and the creator of the t-shirts, was just as excited, saying, “If he’s so passionate about it we can’t say no. This is gonna be so much fun.” 

The top four contestants received a custom “I Survived The APIDA Staring Contest” T-shirt. In addition, the first-place winner, Kendrick Acda, walked away with $50 cash, and the second-place winner, Camila Pérez-Diener, with $25. 

In a tense final round, Acda and Pérez-Diener locked eyes for two minutes before Pérez-Diener finally blinked, handing Acda the victory.  

Both Pérez-Diener and Acda admitted they hadn’t expected to make it as far as they did and were surprised by their endurance. “It was a very unique idea that drew people in. It was so much fun!” Pérez-Diener said. 

As simple as the idea was to begin with, the environment in the room was electric as competitors fell out of the competition one by one. 

Laughter filled the air as students enjoyed each other’s company over provided food and embraced their competitive spirits. 

Ironically, there wasn’t a single moment of awkward silence as students stared deeply into one another’s eyes. 

“The people who missed it definitely missed out. You get food, you get lots of fun, friendship and an award,” Acda said after the event. 

APIDA hopes that this event becomes an annual tradition. Their goal is to remind students to slow down and enjoy the little things. As McDonald said, “I think that I just hope this brings a little bit of that, like, dumb fun back.”  

The dedication behind this event was no joke either. “[DuBois] genuinely wrote up, like, a page of goals and the mission of this staring contest and how it aligns with GC’s core values,” McDonald said.

APIDA continues to foster a sense of community, laughter and inclusivity on campus. DuBois said, “In my freshmen year, I noticed that three times we ended convo by singing, putting one foot in front of the other and leading with love, so I guess this is APIDA’s way of leading with love.”

This sentiment highlights the spirit of APIDA, especially in the context of their rebrand away from the broader term ASA. The new name, APIDA, reflects a commitment to inclusivity and diversity. 

It aims to create a space that embraces all cultures found across the entire continent of Asia, as well as anyone else who wishes to show up and support the community.