The San Mateo County History Museum (SMCHM) hosted its annual Lunar New Year celebration to bring the diverse San Mateo community together.
The SMCHM offered various activities inside the museum while hosting performances outside in the Courthouse Square.
This year, the event aligned with the last day of the Lunar New Year celebration on Feb. 24.
“It is a great opportunity to give people a little taste of different aspects of Chinese culture,” said Mindy Chiang, a volunteer coordinator and Carlmont High School language teacher.
This event was a rich cultural experience and recognition of heritage for the over 200,000 Asians living in San Mateo County.
“Cultural events like the Lunar New Year celebration can promote the understanding and appreciation for diverse cultures,” said volunteer Mateo Hu.
Families crowded the museum this year, eager to learn about and experience Chinese culture.
“I am very impressed by the sheer number of attendees this year,” Chiang said. “I think this is our largest group yet.”
With a record number of visitors this year, Chiang and many others were confident that people would enjoy the Lunar New Year celebration.
“It’s exciting to see the little and big kids enjoying the activities,” Chiang said. “It is also great for the volunteering students to give back to their community and share what they learn in the classroom.”
This year, all 31 student volunteers were in the World Language program at Carlmont.
“I was motivated to volunteer for the Lunar New Year event because I have visited it before and thought it would be fun to give back to the community, run stations with my friends, and teach the youth about Chinese culture,” Hu said.
Additionally, student volunteers gained valuable experience and skills while working with others.
“Volunteering at events like this helps me gain experience interacting with strangers while doing a job,” said sophomore volunteer Gordon Cheng.
Moreover, the job encouraged student collaboration outside of the classroom environment.
“Students need to work with each other to make sure the station is covered at all times and that no one is overloaded with visitors,” Chiang said.
The event allowed volunteers such as Hu to explore their leadership endeavors through their involvement in the activities and interactions with the participants.
Volunteers were able to contribute to each attendee’s unique connection and knowledge of Chinese culture.
“It is like opening a door to get a peek,” Chiang said. “I hope some of them will continue to explore on their own.”
