The University Asian-Pacific community held the Third Annual Miss Asian UIUC pageant Friday night at Foellinger Auditorium as part of a monthlong celebration of Asian-American History.

For the past two years, the Asian-American community has come together to organize the annual pageant featuring ten Asian-American contestants who compete in categories such as talent, interview and formal wear. This year’s winner was Wendy Gao – sophomore in business – who represented the Chinese Students and Scholars Association.

Lilly Wu, junior in engineering, was the head coordinator of this year’s event. She was busy running back and forth the entire night, tabulating the judge’s scores and making sure everything was in place.

“This event took a lot of planning, but was definitely worth the effort,” she said.

Lily Chen, President of the Taiwan Intercultural Association, judged the pageant along with nine other individuals – each representing an Asian-American organization. She said there are not enough programs on campus that showcase the beauty of the Asian-American culture.

“Clubs and programs such as these help people stay connected with their culture when they are away from home,” said Chen, senior in LAS. “For many overseas students, this helps them meet new friends and continue to observe traditional habits.”

She said that the most important part of the pageant is the talent competition.

“The show tonight (Friday) stresses the importance of inner beauty and talent,” she said. “We encourage participants to perform and showcase the unique aspects of their own culture.”

Benjamin Wang, junior in LAS, said the pageant was significant for numerous reasons.

“It helps bring Asian awareness to campus and has a huge impact,” he said. “When all the Asian organizations gather like this, we show everyone the pride we have in our culture.”

Wang said he joined the organization three years ago because he enjoyed the pageant, but added that the event is only the first in a series of events the Asian-American organizations have planned in honor of Asian-American history month.

“Events like this are important to let other groups know our name,” Wang said. “Now they can see all that the Asian-American community has to offer.”

Part of the contestants’ score was based on audience enthusiasm, which caused the crowd to erupt in cheers whenever their candidate was onstage.

Niki Hansoti, secretary of the Indian Student Association, was there to cheer on Sejal Patel, the candidate from ISA. Hansoti, sophomore in LAS, said that this pageant has many positive affects for the entire University community.

“Tonight’s program showcases our diversity and is a great way to promote the culture,” she said.

Min Cao, vice president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, said that it is important to have a stage to show others all the talent that these students have.

“Other people can see why our organizations are important,” said Cao, graduate student. “This is more than just a venue for entertainment.”

The pageant attracted a large audience full of Asian Americans as well as other individuals who were interested in seeing what the show had to offer.

Alex Joo, freshman in LAS, said this program brought together the best of their culture. He said that Asian Americans are often underrepresented, and that this month is a perfect opportunity to bring their issues to the forefront of campus concerns.

Joo said that he is glad to be a part of the celebration of Asian-American History month.

“When cross-cultural groups come together like this, we all benefit,” he said. “I would like to see more programs like this that bring us all together.”