USO Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Appreciation Month

The military community encompasses multiple cultures from all over the world. It comprises diverse people from unique backgrounds with stories that brought them to where they are today. The USO strives to provide a relaxing and stress-free environment for everyone that walks into a center. So, being respectful and understanding to all visitors is extremely important.

The USO builds a welcoming atmosphere by ensuring the center is as homelike as possible. However, we do not limit our dedication to a ‘homelike’ experience to the inside of our center. Team members of the USO also extend the experience out into the community by supporting local diversity and inclusion events.

As we know, May was Asian American and Pacific Islander Appreciation month. The USO was invited by the U.S. Naval Hospital’s internal Diversity and Inclusion committee to show our appreciation and gratitude to our Asian American and Pacific Islander friends. Laura Peter, a Center Operations Specialist for USO Rota, made a delicious matcha boba tea for this event. Along with high antioxidants, matcha green tea has many health benefits. Now, add a splash of milk and some black tapioca balls, and you have a delicious and healthy boba tea drink! For many, boba tea is a sweet reminder of home. It was made famous in the 1980s in Thailand, and in 1990 the first boba tea store was opened by Taiwanese immigrants in California. Currently, there are over 3,000 boba tea shops in the United States that employ over 22,000 people. Whether you visit our center for a snack or grab a bite to eat from one of our Troop Lunches, the USO is happy to bring you a little taste of home.