The word Apna — meaning "one's own," with its warm extended sense of kinship and belonging — is one of the most quietly powerful inheritances shared across South Asian languages. What makes this etymology remarkable is how faithfully the word's cognates spread and stabilized across the subcontinent's language families. Urdu carries the word identically as its shared Hindustani inheritance. Besides, Punjabi has āpaṇā (ਆਪਣਾ), Gujarati has āpaṇũ, Nepali has āphno, and Bengali has āpon (আপন) — all descending from the same Prakrit core. The etymological core of the word also connotes back to ātman, was the Sanskrit word for "self," later used into many Indian languages as ātmā, meaning ‘soul.’

True to its name, Apna Club is a student mentorship committee created by the students and for the students, evoking a sense of community, familiarity, and belonging.

The committee’s core objective is to foster meaningful and sustainable connections by bridging gaps in knowledge, understanding, and communication between students, faculty, and academic institutions. Through seasonal social events, symposiums, and lectures, Apna Club seeks to amplify the voices of South Asian design students and connect them across the globe. We strive to cultivate an unapologetic, inclusive, and welcoming community where South Asian students of all intersectional identities feel seen, supported, and valued. SADEA Apna Club is open to students across all South Asian backgrounds, roots, and lived experiences—we welcome you with open arms.

The Apna Club committee brings together educators and student representatives. From Apna club to you, we hope you join our next event and all the ones to come!