COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND–One September evening, Ruson Begum, the president of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Club, shuffled a deck of cards as fellow club members eagerly awaited the start of their next round of Mafia.
The energy in the room shifted from serious discussions of cultural heritage to playful accusations and whispered hunches. Begum distributed the cards; a familiar routine that had become a cherished tradition within the group.
By the end of the evening, students who were initially unfamiliar with one another would be sharing laughter, bonded by the the joy of the event.
