Mia Fischel, Features Editor Emeritus–


When Anna Pak ’27 saw that Denison did not have an Asian-focused sorority, she started talking to friends about creating one.

That’s when they discovered Delta Phi Lambda, a sorority advocating for Asian awareness with a chapter at Ohio State. They loved it– the colors, philanthropy, values– everything was perfect.

So, last summer, Pak established an interest group for Delta Phi Lambda on campus. To differentiate themselves from the national organization, the group has elected to refer to themselves as BLISS, which stands for balancing love, inspiration, serenity and sisterhood.

“We kind of wanted to create a space for Asian women to create a community and foster sisterhood,” said Catherine Kim ’27, one of the founding members of BLISS. “And although we are Asian-interest, we’re not Asian-exclusive.”

One of their main goals is to close the gap between international and domestic students at Denison.

Multiple Asian-interest organizations exist at Denison, but no sororities. Many BLISS members are also in the Denison Asian Student Union (DASU), including DASU’s president, Joyce Lee ’26.

“[DASU] kind of kick-started my interest in my own Asian heritage because in high school, I really didn’t think about it because I didn’t have access to those resources, or to actively engage with other people who share so much heritage,” Joyce Lee said. “But coming to Denison, being involved in DASU helped me, and it also kind of helped me join BLISS because I was able to share my passion with other individuals.”

At their first fundraiser in Sept. 2024, BLISS sold hwachae, a popular fruit punch in Korea. Joyce Lee said that it garnered interest from many new people and solidified their presence on campus; plus, they sold out.

Before she bought hwachae that day, Emma Kim ’27 didn’t know much about BLISS. But after approaching their table and talking with members, she knew she wanted to get involved.

So far, the organization has hosted fundraising events, engaged in community service, and spread the word through open study groups and outreach. One service event was held in collaboration with Sew4Service, during which they made aprons for Alzheimer’s patients.

“All throughout high school, I feel like I really enjoyed doing service work, and I feel like Delta Phi Lambda’s philanthropy resonated with me,” said Emma Kim, who attended a small high school in Columbus where there weren’t as many opportunities to connect with those who share her culture.

As an Asian-interest group, BLISS encourages a culture of campus connectivity and isn’t exclusive to any specific background. 

“As an international student, I think I lacked more of the belongingess. Having [BLISS] will help us have more representation of Asian American and Asian international students, and hopefully help people have a more smooth and enriched campus life,” Yeyoung Lee ’26 said.

Yeyoung Lee said she hopes that BLISS will set a precedent for future Asian students at Denison; that it will create a welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds to learn about new cultures, while also celebrating their own.

“We’re here without our parents– who don’t know anything about the US– we’re here by ourselves, only depending on friends and the limited resources that we have. So I would like to have us help them expand their resources,” Yeyoung Lee said.

Both Yeyoung Lee and Hyangyoo Kim ’25 are from South Korea, and they are also both community advisors (CAs) at Denison.

“As a CA, we really mention a lot about sense of belonging at our campus. As an international student, and as an introvert, it’s really hard for me to try to meet other people,” Hyangyoo Kim said. “This was a great opportunity for me to expand my time and experience here at Denison, as well as having that sense of belonging as an international student.”

BLISS hopes to invite more women to join and take part in their sisterhood in the near future.

“I believe that anyone who joins our group should be treated as part of the sisterhood. And I think that’s where the difference comes from… of how purely we can love them as sisters,” Yeyoung Lee said.