Long Beach City College continues to celebrate Filipino American History month with a meet and greet welcoming members of the community to interact with fellow Filipinx students and staff.
The meet and greet took place in the Social Justice Intercultural Center of the E building on Oct. 25. Upon walking into the room, one could find flags representing the Philippines hung up around the walls, as well as mini ones decorating each table.
The room had an aroma of tasty foods, such as Lumpia, a traditional Filipino dish, and music played from various artists of Filipino heritage.
The event pulled a small, but lively crowd of students and staff into the room. The head of the event and chair of the APID affinity group, Loo Loo Tupua, was pleased with the outcome of the meet and greet.
“The main goal for us is for everyone to meet and mingle amongst each other, get to know one another, and feel a sense of welcoming for Filipinx members here,” said Tupua.
After this event, she hopes to achieve her largest goal of bringing back the Filipino club to campus and opening more chances for those interested in the topic.
“The big goal for me is to welcome the club back and expand to show students who identify with the heritage there’s a place for them to feel welcomed while here at school.” said Tupua.
During the event, students and staff participated in an icebreaker game to get comfortable with one another, as well as learn a few things about each other. “It was a nice, great quality group that welcomed everyone,” Tupua said.
She was focusing on letting those in attendance know that they all have a spot that feels like a home away from home. “There is a large population here in Long Beach of the Filipino community. A lot of us have settled here and since then have continued to grow.”
“It is important to have these events to show that we’re heard and celebrated, even taking small gestures such as the food served here today to bring the authentic meals and settings one would see in a Filipino household,” she said.
Tupua leaves the event encouraging those who want to join that they will be welcomed, “Any potential students who feel recognized in the culture, feel free to join and reach out there is space for them to show their pride of the heritage and will always be welcomed.”
First-time student and nursing major, Red San Pedro, made the move from the Philippines to Long Beach six months ago. “Entering the event today I felt anxious and nervous as I didn’t really know anyone, but felt welcomed,” he said.
“It was perfect timing, with me just moving here and still getting to know the school and area. It was nice finding a community I can be comfortable and familiar with.” said San Pedro after leaving the meet and greet.
Multiple raffles were played during the event and San Pedro was lucky to call himself a winner of a majority of the prizes, including common Filipino snacks and goods as well as a humorous COVID-19 test.
He gave insight into the differences between life here compared to back in the Philippines, “The history month is not actually celebrated back home as it is just a normal month to us and we often have dedicated celebrations throughout the year, but it is nice to see the heritage celebrated on campus, it really showed a welcoming approach.”
Another first-year student and transportation technology major, Jomar Hontiveros, was sitting at the second table with Tupua and other participants, he was engaging with others during the bingo icebreaker, which had everyone going around the room looking for someone’s name to write down that fit a question asked on the game sheet. When the win went to San Pedro, everyone was in high spirits and seemingly more comfortable after.
Hontiveros heard about the event from a flyer hung around campus. “Funny enough I wasn’t aware a month existed celebrating Filipino heritage,” he said.
Hontiveros comes from a first-generation family starting here, and when seeing the event post he was more than happy to engage. “I wanted to get more involved in the community and was actually seeking it during school. It was nice to get in touch with everyone and it is empowering that the community is here and are the most welcoming.”
When the call came that the event had come to an end, everyone was in no rush to leave and continued to celebrate and converse with one another. The Filipino American History month helps bring those of the Filipinx community together.