Celebrating APIDA and SWANA Heritage Month 2026

history and heritage months

Celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month and Southwest Asian & North African Heritage Month

Celebrate APIDA and SWANA Engineers

Student story: Read Miko Siarez Makes Good: Connection, Community, and Determination.
Student story: Read Picture This: Natalie Venginickal Redefines the Engineering Student Image.
Instagram: Follow @UMDclarkschool for multimedia content.
Campus calendar: View campus’s APIDA and SWANA calendars for commemorative activities that are open to all.

Clark School Community,

In April, we come together to celebrate two heritage months—Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) Heritage Month—honoring histories, languages, and cultural contributions that have shaped our country and campus, and the students, faculty, staff, and alums whose perspectives are key to engineering excellence.

Mechanical engineering senior and Clark Scholar Miko Siarez credits his Clark Scholars program connections, including Associate Director Damien Franze, and friends made through UMD’s Filipino Cultural Association for a “good foundation and a good community.”
Natalie Venginickal is the third electrical engineering Terp in her immediate family, but the junior is paving her own way at the Clark School by currently co-leading the Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering student organization first established in 2008.

The Clark School is filled with examples of excellence from our APIDA and SWANA community members, from our Innovation Hall of Fame inductees, including wireless communications pioneer Hamid Jafarkhani M.S. ’94, Ph.D. ’97 (electrical engineering), to our Glenn L. Martin honorees. Among our most recent Martin Medal recipients, Patrick Sung Ph.D. ’72 (chemical engineering) and Marguerite Sung ’72 (mathematics) were honored for their exceptional leadership and support to advance student success, elevate faculty excellence, foster innovation, and inspire future generations of scientists and engineers as global Terp ambassadors.

Maryland Engineering Student Organization chapters aligned in affinity with APIDA and SWANA heritage include the American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin, the Asian Engineering Student Organization, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, and the Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects, which provide cultural exchange, mentorship opportunities, and the chance for professionals to share their insights and journeys with others.

We encourage you to share these and all the stories you will find on our digital channels and to join in campus-wide events for APIDA Heritage Month and SWANA Heritage Month. These events are open to all.

Thank you for joining in our Spring ’26 history and heritage month celebrations. We are proud to have such a dynamic community, and we are honored to continue building and strengthening it together.

Sincerely,

Akua Asa-Awuku (she/hers), Professor and Associate Dean for Community Success and Workforce Development
Ken Kiger (He/him/his), Professor and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs
Min Wu (She/her), Distinguished University Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Programs

Published April 1, 2026