Hello, Everyone!
Harvard University admitted the largest proportion of Asian American first-year students in its history this week amid allegations of bias against Asian students in its admissions process.
Of the 56,937 applicants, Harvard admitted 1,942 students to its Class of 2027, with Asian Americans comprising 29.9% of the new admissions, marking a 2.1% increase from last year. Meanwhile, Black students made up 15.3%, followed by Latinx at 11.3% and Native American/Hawaiian at 2.7%. White students still composed the largest admissions group at 40.8%.
While the university faces a Supreme Court case over its admissions process, Harvard also announced an expansion of its financial aid initiative for low- and middle-income families starting with the Class of 2027.
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Spotlight đź’ˇ
- Richard Verma has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. In this role, he will oversee foreign assistance and other programs. Verma served as the U.S. Ambassador to India from 2015 to 2017, making him the first Indian American to hold this position. He has also worked as a judge advocate in the U.S. Air Force and as the senior national security advisor to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for five years.
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Race in America 🌎
- A new Asian American publication called "Hawthorn" is set to launch its first article in early April, making it the first Asian American publication on the University of Pennsylvania's campus in almost 20 years. The publication, which was founded by the Co-Presidents of Rice Up, a student organization at Penn, aims to promote awareness about Asian identity both on campus and in the larger Philadelphia community.
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In Other Asian News đź—ž
- Celebrated Japanese composer and founder of the Yellow Magic Orchestra techno-pop band, Ryuichi Sakamoto, has died at the age of 71. His Instagram page announced his death, but no further details were provided. Equally adept at composing orchestral works, video game tracks, techno and intimate piano solos, Sakamoto received an Oscar, BAFTA, Grammy, and two Golden Globes for his work, and collaborated with a wide range of musicians across genres.
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Entertainment 📺
- Comedy Central shared a teaser trailer for the long-awaited third season of “Awkwafina is Nora from Queens.” Awkwafina will make her directorial debut with Season 3. Her character’s father (BD Wong), grandmother (Lori Tan Chinn) and cousin (Bowen Yang) will all be reprising their roles on the show. It takes inspiration from Awkwafina’s real life experiences in Queens, New York. Season 3 will feature several guest stars, including Celia Au, Ross Butler, Ronny Chieng, Woody Fu, Ken Jeong, Frankie Muniz, Scott Adsit, musician Michael Bolton, rapper Dumbfoundead and more. Season 3 will premiere on April 26 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.
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What else is on our minds? đź§
- South Korean musician Car, the Garden will embark on a four-stop North American tour starting in Los Angeles on April 6.
- Netflix’s political thriller “The Night Agent” starring Hong Chau and Luciane Buchanan is renewed for a second season.
- Netflix has announced a “Scott Pilgrim” anime with many of the original cast returning to voice their characters.
- Cup of Noodles has released a breakfast flavored ramen that will taste like pancakes, sausage, maple syrup and egg.
- Japan has vending machines full of bear meat.
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