The event also honored student leaders in URI\u2019s Pacific and Asian American communities. From URIGSO, Ph.D. student Alyssa Tsukada<\/a> was named as a 2025 Asian Cultural Ambassador Award winner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A first-year Ph.D. student in biological oceanography at URI\u2019s Narragansett Bay Campus, Tsukada said collaboration between people of different backgrounds is foundational in problem-solving. Tsukada grew up in a small town in Alaska. When she headed to Washington state for her undergraduate degree, she met others from different backgrounds and learned new ways to view and approach things: \u201cWhile some fear that diversity leads to division, it more often introduces possibility,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen approached with openness, differences become strengths. Collaboration across cultures fosters innovation, empathy, and adaptability. When individuals with varied experiences work together, they arrive at more innovative solutions.\u201d One of the best ways Tsukada has found to connect with her culture and share it with others at URI is through food and art. She has shared her creativity at the Graduate School of Oceanography winter artisans\u2019 market and developed workshops for URI students to try Japanese crafting techniques. She said these events help open important conversations around Asian-American identity. She also has a Studio Blue exhibit now open<\/a> at the Bay Campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/2-57-1024x1024.jpg\")
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