MAFA NewsletterMAFA NewsletterMAFA Newsletter

December 2014December 2014December 2014

In this issue…

From Your MAFA President —> p. 2

FACT Reflections —> p. 3-4

CWAC Summary —> p. 5

MAFA Alumni Reflections —> p. 6-10

MAFA School Profiles —> p. 12-13

Threads of Hope/Daphne Comics —> p. 14

Letter from the Editor —> p. 16

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From Your MAFA PresidentFrom Your MAFA PresidentFrom Your MAFA President To Live Here and Now

My Schedule at a Glance

And that’s just a generalization

Lately, it seems like all I’ve been doing with my twenty-four hours in a day is working myself to death with everything I tried to take on (or sleeping lol). And so I’d like to remind everyone

Don’t Take Your Life for Granted They say that “every day is a gift,” but to me lately, with all the stresses and pressures I’ve been put under, that really just sounds like a sugared up lie someone told someone who was having a bad day. Each day has the potential to be impossibly amazing or ridiculously depressing; to either build you to new highs, or break you down to new lows. So I’d like to revamp the phrase so it’s more accurate:

Every Day is a New Opportunity And I ask you all to not wake up every single day and use each single opportunity to work yourself to death with school, jobs, or leadership roles. I ask you to find time in your schedule to use some of your opportunities for the things that personally matter like

asking someone how their day has been, OR spending time with a friend you’d like to reconnect with,

OR rebuilding a bridge you once thought was permanently burned down, OR telling someone you care about that you still love or routinely think about them

With all the hustle and bustle that is required to just live comfortably in a world that demands you to go to school to be educated, to have a job so you can have money, and to network with “higher-ups” to make powerful connections, don’t forget that, sometimes, it’s okay to slow down and appreciate not what is missing, but appreciate the wonderful life and opportunities that you have here and now.

Don’t Survive Through Life; Live Through It

(PS. I was told recently that my parents actually read this, so this is a shout out to my dad and mom, who always sup-port and push me to go further, no matter how impossible it seems)

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Class, lunch, class, work, dinner, study, ex-haustion, sleep.

Tuesday and Thursday Class, lunch, class till 8pm, dinner, study, ex-haustion, sleep

Saturday Work/Conference/Road Trip, 2 hours of free time, exhaustion, sleep

Sunday Work/Conference/Road Trip, MAFA meet-ing, study, exhaustion, sleep

What Did YouWhat Did YouWhat Did You Think About FACT? Think About FACT? Think About FACT? Josh Tolentino – Illinois State University

As a member of the executive board for Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) at Illinois State University, it was my job to help advertise FACT during the weeks prior to the conference weekend. In truth, I myself didn’t even know what to expect. During the short drive from ISU to Urbana, I thought of what to expect from the weekend. As a first time delegate at FACT, I was nervous but beyond excited. I have friends who have been to previous FACT’s and have had nothing but great things to say about the conference weekend. I knew I was going to network, I knew I was going to learn new things, but I didn’t know this would be one of the

best weekends as not just a Fil-Am delegate, but as a college student. Going into FACT, I was honestly just into it to meet new people. Coming from a pure Filipino back-

ground, I went in with a mindset that I knew everything about Filipino culture. That I knew everything there was to know about the country, culture, geography, etc. I was in for a shock during my workshops. Not only did I learn more about the culture that I’ve never heard of before, but I discovered more about myself as a per-son. It’s a lot to say that FACT was life changing, but it was definitely a weekend to remember and to relive every year. I recommend to anyone and everyone if they are presented the opportunity to travel to a conference like FACT or any other conference, to grab hold of that opportunity and make most of what is presented to you. Network, learn but most importantly have fun because FACT 2014 was probably one of the best week-ends of my Fall semester. Not only did I grow with my APAC family from ISU, but also I expanded my hori-zons meeting delegates from universities all over the Midwest as we gathered for one common purpose. Filipi-no Americans Coming Together.

Terrence Litam – The Ohio State University The theme was interesting – it made sense but (and maybe it’s

because I missed Lakhi’s speech since I was prepping for perform-

ing) but the theme made sense to me only because I made sense of

it. And even if it was covered in the keynote, I didn’t get to make

opening ceremonies either and so it only made as much sense to

me as I put thought into it.

I noticed that typically my impactful conversations are from

MFAS or aren’t as common just because of my age – 5th year senior. I feel I’ve almost outgrown these confer-

ences and the workshops provided at them.

I always wanted to see workshops be a little longer because then more can be covered. The “take away” from

workshops seems to be so small besides small cool history lessons or something. Where’s the material that’ll

make an impact so that I could apply in back at my org or personal life?

FACT (I’ve been to three) has helped me learn about so many parts of my Fil-Am identity. I suppose in the

last few years though, I’ve been looking to other sources to really learn more about it (or even on my own).

Keep up the good work

Terrence Litam (left)

Katreena Casallo—University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

FACT has changed so many lives in the past 22 years of its inception and it will con-

tinue to do so. The entity of FACT itself is just absolutely amazing. As a coordinator, I can say that it

was not us who made this happen. It was all the delegates and the facilitators who carried the mission

and theme for this year.

As I think about this year’s FACT, my heart immediately opens as I reflect back upon all the

delegates standing up when Jason our keynote, asked everyone if they knew someone who has com-

mitted suicide. Every single person in the room stood up. Every single face, heart, story was being

shared. I remember tearing and looking up at everyone and seeing everyone’s face – distraught; shock;

relief; comfort. And --- that’s what HEAR & NOW is all about. To listen – to pause – and to react

with action. It was a heartfelt and moving opening session.

As I walked from workshop to workshop, I noticed something in common from all of them.

It was our delegates letting themselves be VULNERABLE and sharing their stories. This year’s confer-

ence I saw delegates really question themselves, actively listen to each other, and most importantly ask questions. Thinking about it,

to some it might’ve been somewhat like a therapy session.

Our facilitators this year were from all over the nation to our very own Midwest. We chose these facilitators because they

have been in our shoes – recently and it is they who are the pioneers of paving a new path for our community. They too have stories

to tell or they are just unraveling their own story. I really envisioned a conference where our delegates just stopped. As millennials,

we are constantly bombarded with thousands of things on top of that we have our own dilemmas that we have to deal with. In the

end, the person we forget the most about is ourselves.

How can we create a community of leaders that are aware, driven, and connected if they are not connected within them-

selves? The vulnerability that every delegate has portrayed at this year’s FACT is the step to becoming more self-aware about our-

selves. To this day delegates still talk about what an amazing conference it was because it enabled them to meet facilitators who has

changed their lives or delegates that has made them more aware of themselves and their surroundings.

The message I want to share with all of you is --- to pause, to reflect, and think wisely of what to do next. Never once think

you are alone – there are 1200 other delegates who are just like you and more – we are a community even after the conference is over.

Continue to share your own stories and learn from others. Never underestimate yourself of your capabilities – build yourself to the

best of your potential and keep strengthening and broadening your network. As a senior and my last year of FACT, it taught me all

of this and so much more about myself. I will always be grateful for FACT and I hope you were all able to get something from FACT

as well.

Best,

SPEAK

Photo Credit: Bryan Casallo

Thank you to Eddie, Katreena, and Shannen Thank you to Eddie, Katreena, and Shannen Thank you to Eddie, Katreena, and Shannen

for another successful FACT weekend!for another successful FACT weekend!for another successful FACT weekend!

Photo Credit: Neil Miran

Every year at FACT, student leaders of Fil-Am student organizations within MAFA and beyond come together to participate in activities and discussions planned by the MAFA Board to improve themselves and their organizations in a workshop that has been called Conference Within a Conference (CWAC).

We started off the workshop where groups formed and used their creative thinking to come up with ways to interpret this year’s FACT theme of “Hear & Now.” We saw many unique and informing inter-pretations that explained many things: mental presence; how our heritage affects us now; sharing our

experiences with others; and moving forward even though our lives throw us curveballs. This activity was also used to view leadership – who in the groups stepped up to take charge, when did you know to step up or step down, and how did you lead and follow.

The next activity gave people the chance to discuss pertinent issues and ideas that affect all of our organizations. Situations included differentiating acting per-sonal versus professional, how to implement culture and cultural awareness in your organizations, and how to influence potential future leaders of your Fil-Am organizations. Individuals shared how their boards solve these situations; these ideas can be considered with future planning events and working with our boards.

The last portion of the workshop consisted of understanding the Filipino-American identity. After being led in an activity that question whether one was “more Filipino or American,” it was explained that both are integral to this unique identi-ty. The Filipino-American identity is still young and forming – we as Fil-Am student leaders should consider that these organizations can be outlets to form what it means to be Fili-pino-American. It helps us as leaders and our members to discover the Fil-Am identity.

For those of you who attended, we hope that you took away something valuable from this workshop. For those of you that haven’t, we hope this is a glimpse at what took place.

We look forward to see what you leaders have to say at the next CWAC this March at MFAS!

MAFA Alumni, MAFA Alumni, MAFA Alumni, In this edition of the MAFA newsletter, we’ll be featuring some of our recent MAFA alumni. Let’s see what

they’ve been up to, how MAFA has impacted them, and listen to advice that they have for us! Brian Domingo Graduating Year and Major: May 2014 – Business Economics & Athletic Training Graduating School: St. Cloud State University Affiliated MAFA Organization: St. Cloud FASA (Filipino-American Student Association)

What are you up to currently? I work for the University Program Board for St. Cloud State University and I’m a personal trainer. I’m going to graduate school at Minnesota State University – Mankato studying Human Performance Exer-cise Physiology.

What are some interests/hobbies that you do during your free time from the professional world? I am currently training for my first powerlifting meet in Elk River, Minnesota in the 74 kg (162 lbs) weight class. I’m hoping to get a >1000 pound raw total for my squat, bench and deadlift. I also invest a decent amount of my time acting as the Peer Advisor for St. Cloud State University’s Filipino-American Student Associa-tion.

Have any MAFA memories you would like to share? My favorite memory in MAFA was when I attended my very first FACT in 2012, when I went with the Philippine Student Association of The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (PSA MN). Lito Biala, dryer sheets and sharing the same bed…what a guy! #TeamGuapo checkin’ in!

To this day, I credit PSA MN with inspiring me to create St. Cloud FASA. They are such an amazing organization and I have wanted and still want the same for St. Cloud State University.

How has MAFA contributed in your overall preparation for the "real world"? MAFA has allowed me to utilize my ability to tap into different networks by being more comfortable making connections and building meaningful relationships despite being an introvert.

What are some words of advice you have for current MAFA members?

Buksan mata mo! Realize that our culture isn’t just Pacquiao, adobo and Apl.de.Ap! More and more non-Filipinos are attending FACT and MFAS every year. In fact, most of St. Cloud FASA isn’t Filipino, but a lot of non-Filipinos who are interested in our culture. So let’s do our part as Fil-Ams to know our roots and our history to properly facilitate the curiosity of our new “kababayans”.

What does it mean to be a Midwest Filipino?

I have no idea what it means to be a Midwest Filipino, I really don’t. Pertaining to Filipinos in the Midwest, I find that it’s understood that it’s one thing to be a Filipino in Illinois and another thing to be a Filipino in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. I can’t say because I live in St. Cloud where I believe the Filipino population is the most sparse out of all the MAFA schools.

What Are You Up To?What Are You Up To?What Are You Up To?

Christian Aldana

Graduating Year and Major: 2014 – Political Science and French

Graduating School: The Ohio State University

Affiliated MAFA Organization: OSU PSA

What are you up to currently? Taking time off to work and be with my family in Bangkok before pursuing further educa-

tion. I currently work with my dad and tutor kids in French in my spare time.

What are some interests/hobbies that you do during your free time from the professional world? I like exploring the city and discovering new places to eat and drink...Bangkok is like a foodie paradise! After being in the States for so long, I really missed South East Asia. And writing, I've been writing so much since I got here.

Have any MAFA memories you would like to share? My most recent and most cherished MAFA memory was the 2014 conference in Toledo where I got to perform my spoken word at the V-Show. I got a standing ovation at the end of my performance and it was the most surreal moment of my life. That performance and that gesture meant more to me than any perfor-mance before or since, because it came from a community of people that mean so much to me. That's what I love about MAFA - even though we don't all know each other personally we have each others back. Always.

How has MAFA contributed in your overall preparation for the "real world"? Well, I think MAFA helped me believe in myself. This started with my own school's PSA but MAFA definitely amplified the feeling. It's not that I didn't think I was capable before, but I don't think I truly realized the kind of impact that a unified community can have. And that realization is so important because, in life, you need friends, you need family, to support you through the tough times and rally by your side to get things done.

What are some words of advice you have for current MAFA members? Never stop asking questions: about life, about what you're learning, about the media you consume, and most of all, about yourself. Know yourself. Know where you came from. If you don't ask questions, you'll never know.

What does it mean to be a Midwest Filipino? I can't answer this in a couple sentences so I'll just leave this quote by James Baldwin, "Know from whence you came. If you know whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go."

Corinne Casiño Graduating Year and Major: May 2014 – Biology Major, Spanish Minor Graduating School: Saint Louis University (SLU) Affiliated MAFA Organization: SLU Filipino Student Association (AHHHHH SLUUUUUU!) What are you up to currently? I am currently a first year medical stu-dent at SLU School of Medicine (so I’m still sticking around, teehee). What are some interests/hobbies that you do during your free time from the professional world? I LOVE cooking, eating, planning social events for our med school class, eating, hanging out with friends, bother-ing FSA when I’m free, and eating. Have any MAFA memories you would like to share? My first FACT will always be memorable because I never knew the power and scope of the Midwest Fil-Am community until I attended FACT in 2011. Howev-er, my most memorable experience was MFAS 2013 at University of Wis-consin-Madison, during the 3rd workshop where we were put into

groups to discuss our own respective organizations, what Filipino culture means to us, and whether or not it is our duty to pass it on to our children. I was grouped with people I’d never met, but the conversation we had was so engaging, honest, and in depth, and I felt like I immediately made a close connection with every-one in my group. The best part is that the people I met eventually became leaders in their own Filipino stu-dent org, so seeing them at their beginnings as curious, open-minded students before growing into leaders was humbling for me, to say the least. How has MAFA contributed in your overall preparation for the "real world"? It has taught me that put-ting myself out there is such an important thing in order to fully see myself grow as a person. MAFA has also taught me the power of networking and allowing myself to be inspired and influenced by people I meet along the way, and using that to better myself AND the people around me. The opportunities given to me by FSA, MAFA, and the conferences have truly shaped WHO I AM today, and that makes me a stronger person who is ready to face what the future holds. What are some words of advice you have for current MAFA members? A lot of growing and personal exploration happens in college. Embrace it. ALWAYS try something new, whether it is attending FACT, MFAS, a Leadership Retreat, or Battle of the Bamboo. Fully take in the new friendships that you make, the experiences that your Filipino student organization gives you, and the lessons that you learn. Make sure your friendships are meaningful, and always keep in touch with people you meet. I figured out who I was in college, and I was lucky enough to be able to do so in the presence of such empowering, goal-oriented peo-ple. I hope you guys will all feel the same! What does it mean to be a Midwest Filipino? Being a Midwest Filipino means that we have the ability to keep in touch with our American side while exploring, preserving, and cultivating our Filipino roots through meaningful interactions with our family, friends, Filipino student org, and everyday people that in-spire us.

Kelly Ilagan

Graduating Year and Major: May 2014 – B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies in International Studies, and Political Science

Graduating School: Michigan State University

Affiliated MAFA Organization: MSU Pilipino American Student Society (PASS)

What are you up to currently? I’m currently working for U.S. Rep Mike Rogers in his District Office as the Executive Assistant and Immigration Specialist.

What are some interests/hobbies that you do during your free time from the profession-al world? My office is located only 10 minutes from MSU’s campus, so most of my free time is used for helping and advising the current PASS e-board members. Other than that, I use much of my free time traveling, eating, and reading the Wall Street Journal and books!

Have any MAFA memories you would like to share? One of my most memorable MAFA moments was attending my first FACT workshop. I didn’t grow up with an “ate” figure to look up to, and that workshop showed me that there are young, professional and inspiration-al Filipina women all over the Midwest. From that moment, I really began to understand what MAFA can provide.

How has MAFA contributed in your overall preparation for the “real world”? MAFA has taught me an invaluable lesson on the greatness of diversity in the workplace. Although we’re all in the Midwest, we have diverse upbringings that shape our opinions and ideas. It has taught me to be more open-minded on my views and encourage creativity at work.

What are some words of advice you have to current MAFA members? Conferences are fun to meet people and establish connections, but don’t forget the real mission of your organ-ization. Really take the time to listen to your workshop facilitators and learn something about your culture!

What does it mean to be a Midwest Filipino? Being Midwest Filipino means learning to balance our Filipino identity while embracing the intercultural relationships that our up-bringings provided us!

Paolo Payofelin Española E-mail: theerrantdiner@gmail.com Phone: (651) 890-7126 IG/Twitter: @errant_diner Graduating Year and Major: Spring 2012; BSB Accounting, minor in Man-agement Information Systems. Graduating School: University of Minnesota – Twin Cities Affiliated MAFA Organization: PSA Minnesota (all day!) What are you up to currently (i.e. career, graduate school, etc.)? I’ve just transitioned from a career as an Auditor for a large accounting firm to becoming a Social Media Analyst/Strategist for a startup here in NYC. I basically analyze social media activity and recommend strategic initiatives

to clients based on the insights I gather. I still pay exorbitant amounts for rent. What are some interests/hobbies that you do during your free time from the professional world? It’s hard to say when I’m “free” since I believe life and work should be one enjoyable adventure vs. two discreet areas. When I’m not working for a salary, I’m continuing to build out my food blog (to restart in the New Year!), cater-ing company/supperclub, and volunteer my time assisting several Filipino non-profits whose visions I admire. Toss in the occasional paperback/Netflix binge and you’ve covered 90% of my “free” time! Have any MAFA memories you would like to share? I don’t have one specific memory of MAFA but I think one of my favorite is always this point in the midst of the yearly conferences when a student realizes just how powerful and connected we all are. It’s beyond exciting to see someone get hyped after hearing of a cool initiative another school is doing and trying to use that to improves his/her own group (case in point, PSA MN’s own AKA Program being born in a hotel hallway at 3 AM after FACT’s afterset). How has MAFA contributed in your overall preparation for the "real world"? Yes…MAFA is “just” a student organ-ization, but I don’t exaggerate when I say that without my experiences as a leader within PSA MN and MAFA, I wouldn’t be blessed with the opportunities I have now. I still insist that some of the things we’ve accomplished as stu-dent leaders are “realer” than anything I’ve seen in the professional world. From being forced to pitch and defend your group’s mission, to motivating a board comprised of unpaid volunteers, to celebrating successes with complete strangers from other schools, my experiences in MAFA threw me into the “real world” long before I had even graduat-ed. What are some words of advice you have for current MAFA members? The very same words of advice I left when I graduated (and I apologize for the lack of a better phrase): YOLO! And I don’t mean the “I’m-in-college-so-screw-it-all!” definition of the phrase. You’re only going to go through college once (hopefully) and what you go around looking for is exactly what you’ll get. Looking for someone to date? You’ll most probably find one. Looking to hit up party after party? You can! But if you so choose, you can grow a family out of strangers, throw game-changing events, and literally change lives just by having the confidence to go for it. You have this one chance to do something…anything, it is entirely up to you if you’d like to take that chance. I promise you it’ll be worth it. (Not quite sold? Shoot me an e-mail and let’s talk! =]). What does it mean to be a Midwest Filipino? That’s a little hard to answer seeing as I never grew up as a “traditional” Filipino nor am I from the Midwest. But if I had to guess…being a Midwest Filipino is having a lot of fire in your belly. Unlike other regions, we’re spread out, outnumbered, in the cold (ask the Minnesotans!), and have fewer Jollibees per capita. Yet, we’re willing to drive hours to see each other a few times a year, fight to have our own PSAs become the most talked about organizations on campus, and will hoard cans of Spam whenever we can buy them. Be-ing a Midwest Filipino is all about keeping the Pinoy fire alive in an otherwise frozen tundra (as you can see…I hate the cold).

Originally, MAFA was the name of a regional conference, first held by Marquette University’s Bayanihan Student Or-ganization in 1996. This conference was held in response to a group of students attending the FIND conference on the East Coast - in seeing the unity that this conference brought to all the East Coast Filipino-American student groups,, they sought to establish a similar gathering. The first conference brought in 100 delegates from over nine universities throughout the Midwest.

With less than a decade of these conference being held at different Midwest schools, there was still a desire by some to meet beyond just two conferences a year (the MAFA conference and the Filipino Americans Coming Together, or FACT, conference). After road trips among different schools and attending another regional student conference, this time hosted by the Northwest Filipino American Student Alliance (NWFASA), a group of students facilitated a workshop of FACT 2006 called Conference Within a Conference (CWaC). The goal of this workshop, as it is stands today, was to bring student leaders from Midwest Filipino/Filipino-American organizations to question, discuss, and share ways in which to improve their respective organizations.

The need for a regional group stemmed from these workshops, and on October 25th, 2008 during the FACT confer-ence, the first MAFA executive board was established, with the following board members:

Co-President External: Jonathan de Castro (SLU FSA)

Co-President Internal: Phil Millan (UIUC PSA)

Secretary: Jon Cagadas (Northwestern Kaibigan)

Director of Public Relations: Lori Bernardino (Loyola Kapwa)

Events Coordinator: Marisa Santiago (IUB FSA)

Also was created was the purpose of MAFA...

“...to promote closer unity and cooperation amongst Filipino and Filipino Americans around the Midwest by promoting Filipino culture and Asian American awareness, coordinating meetings and events, and through further support of the MAFA organizations.”

From here, MAFA the organization was born!

Know Some MAFA History!Know Some MAFA History!Know Some MAFA History! With all this talk on MAFA, ever wonder just how MAFA started? Here’s a short description of how it came

about, thanks to the help of U of I alum and MAFA advisor Ryne Dionisio.

Photo Credit: WeAreMafa and Daphne Agustin

Know Your MAFAsphereKnow Your MAFAsphereKnow Your MAFAsphere Each newsletter will feature MAFA schools from across the Midwest. Come learn about the unique schools

and organizations of your fellow MAFA members!

Filipinos in Alliance (FIA)

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Year Established: 1996

Current President: Giancarlo Regacho

Website: http://fiauic.org/ ; https://www.facebook.com/groups/2200691330/

Even though UIC is a commuter school, we have very active commuter members as well as students who dorm who participates in Cultural, Modern, AKA program, and Potlucks. We also have a very diverse members ranging from Polish, Cambodian, Thai, African American, Pakistani, to half Chinese, half Filipino, and of course, Filipino. We also teach new Tagalog words/phrases during general meetings.

FIA UIC is very proud of hosting the annual Battle of the Bamboo. It’s a cul-tural competition between Filipino-American organizations in the nation. Schools showcase their talent, skills and share the wonders and colorful culture of the Phil-ippines. It’s held at the UIC Forum on the 2nd week of February annually. It’s also where you create friendships with other schools and gain the “Battle” experience.

A Midwest Filipino means that we are diverse in different generations and cultures. We are able to show and share our cultures to others even to the Filipinos who were born and raised here in the US. FIA’s mission statement is to spread Fili-pino culture and awareness to others and to know where roots are as Filipinos.

Bayanihan Student Organization (BSO) Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Year Established: 1988 Current President: Francis Landoy Website: http://bsobukas.wix.com/bayabayawhat, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marquette-Universitys-Bayanihan-Student-Organization/164143770264028

The most unique thing about BSO is the fact that on Marquette’s campus, we are the most diverse diversity club. A third of our mem-bers are not even Filipino, but greatly appreciate the friendship, culture, and family they find within our group. We also hosted and created the very first spring MAFA confer-ence, which is now commonly known as MFAS. Our biggest and most well-known event is our annual BSO Fashion Show in the fall which just celebrated its 18th year. It is the largest student held charity event on Marquette’s campus with over 100 participants and over 600 audience members. In ad-dition, we have our annual cultural show in the spring semester! To be a “Midwest Filipino” is to be a person that truly cares about and pro-motes the beliefs, culture, and traditions of the Filipino community. Representing the

Tagalog word “Bayanihan”, BSO believes in working together to achieve a common goal. As Midwest Filipinos, we must work to-gether in order to truly live out and promote what it means to be a global Filipino American.

Filipino-American Student Organization (FASO)

University of Wisconsin – Madison

Madison, Wisconsin

Year Established: 1992

Current President: Miko Laforteza

Website: https://www.facebook.com/uw.faso?fref=ts, http://fasomadison.wordpress.com

Our big event each year is called Rated: P and we hold it during the spring semester. Here’s the description of last year’s Rated: P

Rated P: The Art of Social Media is an educational, multidisciplinary arts festival that will explore the importance, prevalence, and effect of social media on our lives. The Filipino-American Student Organization (FASO) will bring in powerful speakers, enthusiastic workshop facilitators, artist activists, and innovative performers to educate, provoke thought, and engage in dia-logue. The goals in creating this festival are to engage in effective community building, foster cultural understand-ing, and educate across a multitude of disciplines. These include social media, Asian American studies, language, history, music, LGBTQ issues, theater, and music.

Additionally, this unique program will utilize the extensive resources available at the University of Wis-consin-Madison while challenging participants to explore self-identity and cultural understanding through inter-active workshops and performance. FASO intends to create a space that will build and strengthen community and utilize this opportunity to actively plan for the future of Filipino Americans at the University of Wisconsin-Madison into the next decade.

Pilipino American Student Society (PASS)

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Year Established: 1991

Current President: Ronald Ilagan

Website: https://www.facebook.com/msu.pass

The most unique thing about MSU PASS is that we are such a diverse group of individuals. Our mem-bers bring such energy and are charismatic, and that is what makes our organization so special. We are proud to be Spartans and love to make it known and show our spirit wherever we go.

MSU PASS has our annual Halo-Halo event every year. This is one of main events each spring where we are able to showcase Filipino talents. This gives us a chance to bring together not only the MSU community, but MAFA community as well to celebrate our culture together. Last year we were able to raise about $2,000 to Typhoon Haiyan Relief, and hope to do as well this upcoming spring.

To be a Midwest Filipino means to be the heart of our Filipino community throughout the US. I feel like all of our organizations have different characters and person-alities, but when we come together we are unison; we are one. I feel proud to say I am and will always be a part of something bigger than myself. No Coast! Best Coast! Mid-west, We the Best!

A Comic By

Media Master Daphne

Threads of Hope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization helps those economically oppressed and less fortunate individuals in underdeveloped countries. Threads of Hope aims to provide funding to these individuals through development of prod-ucts that can be sold worldwide. The sale of these Threads of Hope aims to help meet these individual's physical, educational, and spiritual needs. Threads of Hope helps bring together various organizations, churches, groups, and more to help fundraise for a cause of their choice. Each bracelet made by various families and individuals have a special meaning behind them. Bracelets are sold at $1 dollar a piece. Funds raised will be sent back to the Threads of Hope organization so that the money raised may continue to help those that need help the most.

Each MAFA school will be provided a bundle of threads to sell. Please sell each thread for $1 dollar a piece. When all the threads have been sold, direct payments may be made to WeAreMAFA@gmail.com. If a different form of direct payment method is necessary, please contact Brian Guerrero at BrianJeremyGuerre-ro@gmail.com for any further inquiries.

Threads of Hope Threads of Hope Threads of Hope

Are Back!Are Back!Are Back!

DID YOU KNOW???

The Philippines has won at least eight major

international beauty pageant titles: two for

Miss Universe; five for Miss International;

and at least one for Miss World, the current

titleholder being Megan Young.

“Did You Know” Facts Courtesy of http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattortile/buzzfeed-bayan#2fg8wdv

DID YOU KNOW???

Manila, the capital city of the

country, takes its name from a

white flower that grew on man-

grove trees, locally known as

nilad. ‘May nilad’ can be translated

to mean ‘there are nilad there.’

What’s Happening Out There?What’s Happening Out There?What’s Happening Out There?

President Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration

On Thursday, November 20th, President Obama addressed the nation on an

executive action on the nation’s current immigration system. This action

entails deferral of deportation for parents of children who are U.S. citizens

or legal residents and also expands those eligible under Deferred Action for

Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Though this action will result in five million

undocumented immigrants take a step further to legal residency, it is only a

temporary solution to the greater need for a faster and effective pathway to

citizenship. As of January 2011, there are an estimated 1.3 million undocu-

mented immigrants in the United States, with 270,000 from the Philippines (Department of Homeland Security).

For more information on the executive action, click on the picture here.

Veterans’ Day March on Hollywood

On Veterans’ Day this year, hundreds marched the streets of Hollywood on be-half of Filipino-American World War II veterans and their families. Under the command of President Roosevelt, 100,000 members of the Philippine Army fought the Japanese under U.S. Army command. After fighting for American during the war, those who fought for this country are now fighting because they are denied of full veteran benefits. One veteran states, “I will continue to fight until I get what I deserve.” More than 30 organizations, in-cluding Fil-Am student organizations, participated in the march. Click the picture for a link to an article to learn more about the issue.

Justin Lynch Makes a Splash in Swimming

Is he the next Michael Phelps? At only 16, Justin Lynch at the USA Swimming finals beat Phelps’s score in the 100-meter butterfly at a time of 52.75. The son of an African-American father and Filipina mother, Justin Lynch, who is eyeing to make the team for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. He is the only minority

swimmer on the team at the University of California, Berkeley and participates in a sport that is dominated by white swimmers. When asked about his poten-tial impact in the sport, Justin Lynch simply said “…if I could help bring minori-ties into the sport, that would be great.” Check out the picture for a link to an article on the rising swimming phenom.

In the words of Daphne Agustin….Salutations MAFA!

With all the busyness of school, MAFA, PSA, and what not, I am glad that I was able to put together this edition of the newsletter. In the process of making this, I was really had a chance to reflect on FACT’s theme this year of “Hear & Now”…and the interesting thing is that I was reflecting on it without even knowing.

Since FACT to this point I have gotten hit by a bad fever and missed school; experienced a break where I was able to catch up with an old friend; come back to finish off the semester with loads of PSA events; experience a total of three exams and two presentations the last two days of classes; and now the midst of the finals frenzy. And throughout this period of time, people have asked, “How are you? How was your break? What have you been up to?” Whether we think about this or not, people are asking us about our stories with these questions – stories that we don’t think make an impact in who we are, and yet still do. For example, I spent a lot of days over Thanksgiving break with one of my best friends who I haven’t seen since getting back to campus. It was those few days that reinforced our friendship and brought us closer together. Shout out to my man Jorge!

Then there’s something like FACT which I attended in the Fall of 2011. As a once shy freshman who didn’t really go out to my PSA’s events, I never thought that I would be surrounded by so many people who shared not only similar physical fea-tures, but similar beliefs, values, and most of all experiences. THAT’S what FACT 2014 was trying to instill. The conference was meant to be able to share our stories with people to learn from them, to find the similarities and differences, and to add to our own.

Being a part of MAFA Board and just MAFA in general has added to my own story as well. Never did I think that an organization that stretched a whole region would influence my leadership and my understanding as a Filipino-American. It has helped me to realize that there much more to my culture than myself or my PSA and that I am connected to many others who share the same mission, the same struggle, and the same desire to act. And I know I’m not the only one, just look at the alumni reflections in the newsletter!

So no matter it be a commitment you take part in, an event you attend, or a simple conversation you have, all things that you do influence your story and who you are as a person. Go out there and SHARE YOUR STORY AND ASK TO HEAR THE STORIES OF OTHERS. It’s as simple as asking “How are you today?” You never know if you will have a unique opportunity like what we have now as college students to be able to take time out of what we seem as busy schedules (just wait until real-world life kicks in) and ask how one is doing in order to share our stories and hear the stories of others.

Best of luck to all of you during this busy finals week, best rest to you all for Winter Break, and I look forward to seeing how all of you will continue to add to your own stories :)

Stay classy,

Robert Delfin

Happy Holidays MAFA!