The Asian Pacific American Student Association celebrates Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month throughout April, with film screenings, live performances, workshops, classes and other activities for the whole family.

“API Heritage Month is about celebrating where we come from and raising awareness of API communities and people in and around CSU,” said Kira Deming, president of APASA.

A highlight of the month will be an appearance April 18 by author and performer Qurrat Ann Kadwani, whose one-woman show They Call Me Q played seven months Off Broadway in New York and is now touring nationally. She will present her award-winning show, in which she transforms into 13 characters that have shaped her life as a girl from Bombay growing up in the Bronx, including her parents, Caucasian teachers, Puerto Rican classmates and African-American friends, at 6 p.m. in the Cherokee Park Ballroom. Kadwani will will also lead a workshop on diversity, acting and writing, noon – 1:30 p.m. in LSC 304-306; lunch provided. RSVP for the workshop here.

The show is free and open to the public, no tickets required.

Christine Há, the first ever blind contestant and Season 3 winner of Fox TV’s competitive amateur cooking show, MasterChef, will present the keynote for this year’s celebration, April 21, 7-8 p.m., in the Longs Peak Room of the Lory Student Center. Há defeated more than 30,000 home cooks across America to secure the coveted MasterChef title, a $250,000 cash prize, and a cookbook deal. She also hosts a website at theblindcook.com

“API Heritage Month is our chance to showcase the beauty and uniqueness of our cultures, and to raise awareness of issues in and around our communities, in order to foster a greater appreciation and understanding of who we are,” Deming added.

Sponsors for the month’s events include APASA, Asian Pacific American Culture Center, CSU Athletics, Department of Ethnic Studies, El Centro, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning & Ally Resource Center, Hui ‘O Hawai`i, Japan Club, Native American Cultural Center, RamEvents, Resources for Disabled Students, Residence Life Inclusive Community Assistants and the Women and Gender Advocacy Center.