This exhibit uses archival holdings in the Library’s Special Collections & Archives to explore some of Bowdoin’s earliest Asian students, Asian affinity groups, and the development of the Asian Studies program. Our goal is not to present a definitive history, but to introduce a more holistic history of Bowdoin College and bring to light the Asian students and alumni who are an integral, yet under-acknowledged presence at the College.
Early Asian Students: Susan Tomita, Class of 1975
Susan Tomita, Class of 1975
Susan Tomita arrived in Brunswick in 1971 as part of the first class of women students at Bowdoin College. Hailing from Seattle, she arrived on campus with her high school classmate Mark Lincicome, Class of 1975 and another high school alum, Edwin Lee, Class of 1974, as mentor.
At Bowdoin, Tomita earned her B.A. in Philosophy and enjoyed classes with Professor John Turner (Hispanic Studies) and Professor June Vail (Dance).
At Bowdoin, Tomita earned her B.A. in Philosophy and enjoyed classes with Professor John Turner (Hispanic Studies) and Professor June Vail (Dance). Socially, Tomita was integral in establishing a “coffeehouse” space in the basement of Baxter House that hosted a broad range of creative activities. Dana Bourgeois, Class of 1975, described the coffeehouse in the Orient:
The “Coffeeshop” [...] has in the past assumed the identity of a leather workshop, a pantomime playhouse, a poetry workshop, a cooking laboratory, a gigantic easel for ambition mural artists, a dance hop, and more often than not a gather place for people who like to play and listen to music.
After Bowdoin, Tomita attended Georgetown University Law Center (1980, JD) and retired as Director of Special Projects at The American Law Institute.
[Abelardo Morell ’71 “Susan Tomita,” photograph, in Bowdoin Bugle 1972-1973]
The Tracing the Roots of Asian Community at Bowdoin: An Ongoing Discourse exhibition was conceived by members of RepresentAsian: Bowdoin’s Asian Alumni Association, the first formal entity established to represent the generations of Asian graduates. The group’s principal mission to build the foundations for and diligently maintain the bridges that will give our community the ability to create and sustain meaningful relationships with each other. Benjamin Wu, Class of 2018/2020 and Andrew Park, Class of 2015 reached out and connected with Special Collections & Archives; Amy Cai, Class of 2025 researched and curated the exhibition during the final weeks of her senior year. The exhibit was on view on the first floor of the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library for Commencement and Reunion (May-June) 2025. Special Collections Education and Engagement Librarian, Marieke Van Der Steenhoven and director of Multicultural Alumni Engagement, Joycelyn Blizzard also supported this project and related Reunion events.