Every Wednesday, the BVH Samahan club hosts their meeting in Mr. Chhan’s room, 406. They represent Filipino culture and build an accepting community within the school. Aside from building community, club members have also recognized how the club has helped them learn more about Filipino history and the lack of it being represented in their history classes. Samahan club member Jamison Jones explains how Filipino contributions have mainly gone unseen and how that affects Filipinos themselves.
“There is a lot of work that Filipinos have done in the past that is not very well known to the public, which is important to be [shared]. Some people are out of touch with their [Filipino] culture and just need a place to find and understand [their culture],” Jones said.
Club President Hernand Parubrub recognized how crucial the Samahan club was to a school such as BVH. He went on to elaborate how a majority of the school’s population is not Filipino so having a club where Filipinos can find unity has a positive impact on fellow club members.
“Compared to other schools, our school doesn’t have a large Filipino population,” said Parubrub. “Having [Filipino unity] concentrated in our club is really nice. There are a lot of Filipino families who have immigrated [here], just like [my family].”
In fact, the name basis of the club focuses on Filipino unity. When asked about the significance of the Samahan club name, Parubrub explained that “Samahan” is translated from Tagalog into English as “togetherness” and how it highlights the focus of the club itself.
‘Samahan’ is translated from Tagalog to ‘Unity’ and ‘Togetherness’. So it means it is a place where Filipino Americans or those who are interested in our culture can unite, be together, and bond,” explained Parubrub.
Since October is Filipino American History Month, the prospect of bringing Filipino Americans together is especially important to the Samahan club. Jones put to words the context of the Samahan club’s namesake and goals; that Samahan is not just for making fellow Filipino friends, but a group of people that choose to come together like a family.
“I know [Samahan] is derived from a Filipino word which means ‘family’. [Samahan club] shows that we are not just a big group of friends, [but that] we are people that find family in [other members],” explained Jones.
As the Samahan family continues to grow and grow, its popularity has skyrocketed among the Filipino community within BVH. During club meetings, space in Mr. Chhan’s room is always very limited. Public relations officer Ethan Copon explained that social media has helped with promoting the club, as well as being featured in the morning announcements.
“We post on our instagram [@samahanbvhs] and let people know we have meetings,” Copon said. “[We prioritize] keeping up with our announcements, even on the [morning] announcements as well.”
Newer members are enticed by the many activities the Samahan club has to offer. Volunteer work is not an unusual practice for members. New Samahan club member, Renata Herbst, explained that while she initially joined the club due to her friends’ suggestions, she felt even more welcome by observing the work the club has done for the areas surrounding BVH.
“One of my close friends last year was an officer for Samahan, [and] they [had] always wanted me to join. I [ended up joining] this year,” said Herbst. “They just did [volunteer work at] a fair in Bonita and it seems like they are growing a really welcoming community.”
Similarly to Herbst, club member Jones also stated that his own reasoning for joining Samahan was because his friends were in the club. He even mentioned that he enjoyed this year’s activities thus far so much that he aims to be an officer next year.
“I found out about [Samahan] club through a lot of [my] friends that suggested I should join,” Jones said. “Right now, I am just a member but I hope to be a [club] officer in the future [because] [the club] gives a safe place for Filipinos to their culture.”
Even the current Samahan club president joined because his friends were a part of it. Parubrub explained that his friends were officers when he joined in his freshman year. As he started to enjoy his time and get more involved in Samahan, his friends suggested he take on a leadership role.
“Me and my friends all decided to join [Samahan club] just for fun,” Parubrub said. “I was close with the [club] officers and they suggested that I should be president, so I decided to run for president.”
As the school year progresses, people expect big things from the Samahan club. The promotion of their club majorly helps them gain more club members. President Parubrub reflected on last year’s promotional activities to increase the club’s presence at school, making students excited for what the club has next in store for this school year.
“Last year, I organized something our club had never done before: a big basketball game during lunch, a lot of people from this school [watched] in the bleachers. [The game] really hyped up the club. [Samahan club is] planning on doing more sports events and increasing [our school] presence,” Parubrub said.
