On Jan. 28, the Kalibugan Community Outreach to Realize Empowerment (CORE) Conference was held at University of California San Diego (UCSD). Coordinated by Michelle Griffith, the purpose of the event was to reach Filipino-American and other high school students that are considering college and pursuing a variety of careers.
“I want to emphasize the importance of educational equity. It is lacking in institutions that continue to put up barriers which limit students to not achieve things because of social mobility and economic issues. I am passionate about this so we can ensure students can make it to higher education, especially if they are in marginalized communities, low income and different identities,” Griffith said.
The conference began at 10:00 a.m., where all students were put into different groups with people from different schools. Their activity was to create a personal introduction to perform in front of all the attendees. After having one hour to prepare, one by one, each group performed a “roll call”. Their theme followed the name of their group such as Space Invaders, Star Wars, Milky Way Galaxy, Lunar Legends, Stars, Toy Story, Guardians of the Galaxy, Comets, Sailor Moon and Astronauts & UFO.
“It was a nice icebreaker to know more about the people and students [that attended] because there were a lot of schools from different areas in San Diego. It was nice to learn about them and meet them [through the groups],” Samahan co-president and Bonita Vista High (BVH) senior Francine Imperial said.
Because the conference was targeted towards high schoolers, the BVH Samahan club attended hoping to learn more about the community and know about the resources that were offered for college. Samahan club co-president and senior Grace De Leon, attended with her fellow club members hoping to gain these sources.
“We wanted to learn more about the Filipino Community at UCSD. I personally wanted to see how the Filipino organizations here worked and how similar they were to [high school]. As well, to see how it was to see [Filipino students] transition from high school to college,” De Leon said.
After “roll call,” a five minute intermission was called for. Afterwards, everyone sat back down for a presentation from Chris Feliciano, the Senior Program Director for First Gen Scholars—an institution that hopes to encourage students to pursue a higher education with limited resources. Feliciano uses his own story of growing up to correlate with the program and others.
“The main goal is for students to know the importance of our stories and that they deserve to be heard, especially in places they don’t think they should be. We should be at these colleges that don’t just deserve us but need us,” Feliciano said. “I am a collection of my experiences and my background inspires what I do. For many of these students it is the same, but building confidence and sharing their stories is an amazing way to get them started in the college process.”
Feliciano’s presentation expressed his concerns as a child and growing up in a low income household. He described how despite his obstacles, he was able to get into UCSD. With his past experiences, it pursued him to join a program that would help students get the help he did not receive. Griffith, even as a coordinator, is a third-year student at UCSD and relates to Feliciano’s experiences.
“We want the students to find themselves and understand they do have options in pursuing higher education and have options in other fields; being open to any ideas that are possible in other options. As a low income student who goes to UCSD on financial aid and scholarships, this hits home as to the student populations that we hope are here today. I wish I knew all of this in high school,” Griffith said.
After Feliciano’s presentation, students were dismissed for lunch. After a thirty minute break, all were called back to break off into workshops. Each student had three workshops that they attended. There was a variety that covered many topics like medical careers, trans and queer care, 3D printing and zine making (magazine).
“It is definitely giving students a day in the life of a college student, but also workshops to figure out new professional pathways. No one told me how to look for a major, financial resources or a career path,” Feliciano said.
After the three workshops per student, everyone was called back to the main building, where a panel was set for all current college students at UCSD. Set up like an open conversation, they talked about their personal experiences and the importance of understanding the process of getting into college. Griffith believed the conference was set up well by her and her team and hoped she inspired other students.
“As the Filipino Organization at UCSD, we hope to encourage Filipino or Filipino-Americans to pursue higher education. But again this event is not limited to only Filipinos. We wanted to encourage anyone from any identity regardless of their background to come here,” Griffith said
