By Mia McCauley, Student Affairs Intern
During April, UW–Madison takes the time to celebrate and honor the diverse intersections that compose the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community on campus, through APIDA Heritage Month.
Each of these diverse identities reflects a unique individual experience, but when united to form a community, they create something greater than the sum of their parts — a collection of interconnected worlds woven together.
This year’s theme, Into the APIDA-Verse, sets out to navigate the communities’ multiverse with open hearts and open minds. “We not only expand our own universe, but also discover the limitless potential of our shared existences that are stronger together.” (UW–Madison APIDA Heritage Month, 2025)
Ojaswi Pasachhe, a UW–Madison student and the designer for the 2025 APIDA Heritage Month artwork, set out to create imagery that visually captures and celebrates these powerful messages.
“I have always loved art. For me, it’s been a constant way to express my creativity and different aspects of my identity,” said Pasachhe. “Last year, I connected with the previous logo designer for APIDA Heritage Month, Juyoung Park, and felt truly inspired by her design process.”
Recognizing both the similarities and differences between the various confluences that make up the APIDA culture, Pasachhe created the universe design, accompanied by a series of intersecting lines.
“I thought of creating a Universe, or the APIDA multiverse, as the design showcases. The lines that you see are representative of the connection between each of us in this community. Even if we each come from different cultures, we are intertwined and connected through our experiences,” said Pasachhe
Led by the APIDA Heritage Month Planning Committee, April was packed with meaningful events that brought people together, built a strong sense of community, and left a lasting impression on everyone who took part.
“As we plan the month, everyone on our committee comes together and we inspire each other. Through our discussion and collaboration, we came up with the idea of a web; something that represents multiple identities, diversity, but still remains interconnected,” said Pasachhe. “I found myself looking at images of spider webs, modeling aspects of the design from that.”
The jewel tones in this design carry a range of meanings, symbolizing good luck, prosperity, strength, and power—all cherished values within the APIDA community.
“Outside of the colors present in the design, I selected an eye shape to form around the APIDA Heritage Month name. In many cultures, we hear the saying, ‘the eyes are the window to the soul,’ and in a sense, I wanted to showcase how each of the different communities within the APIDA culture has their own unique stories, yet we are still connected.”
Together, the APIDA community creates a rich blend of culture, resilience, and connection, showing that strength lies both in individuality and in the unity of shared celebration.
“To me, APIDA Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the diversity, successes, or even struggles and challenges faced within our community,” said Pasachhe. Throughout my experience creating this design, I wanted to take a moment to honor everything that people have done in the past in order to create what we have now.”
Learn more about the APIDA Student Center or, head to their space within the Multicultural Student Center located on the second floor of the Red Gym.