What are some challenges of running a student organization as big as FSA, and with so many different aspects?
“Within FSA we have 13 aspects, ranging from our performing arts troupes, to our high school outreach and academic retention groups, and even a five-unit Pilipino Historical Dialogue course we offer. Our leadership team, known as FSA core, comprises of 35 members which includes the coordinators of each aspect and the co-chairs. A challenge that can occur in running such a large organization is ensuring constant and clear communication between FSA core and our entire community of over 200 students. One of our goals is to provide enriching events for our community and ensuring at the same time that our core grows from planning the events. With that, communication is key, and we foster this through weekly core meetings, social media, event fliers and more. Despite the challenges that occur in a given year, one of the beautiful things we have seen from FSA is that everything we do is always a learning process. At the end of the day, not only do we grow as students, but the things we learn about our culture and community are priceless.”
What are FSA’s goals this year?
“Bridging off our goals from last year, we will continue to provide community events for our members that focus on our culture, as well as the importance of our community as a whole. Our membership has more than doubled over this last year and we strive to make those numbers increase annually. For our core members, our goal is to instill in them the knowledge and leadership skills that will allow them to be leaders, not only for their aspect, but for the whole community. We want to build closer, strong relationships with our community. We want to make sure our community is represented on this campus. We want to not only teach and show our culture to our members, but open it to the whole campus, as well.”
What does FSA mean for the Filipino community at UCSC?
“FSA’s mission is focused around promoting the awareness and empowerment of the Filipin@ community and our allies. Through our many aspects, we hope to foster an environment for everyone to express and learn about themselves and Filipino culture all while having a support group for what is often a difficult time in college especially as an underrepresented community. By constantly reaching out to new members while focusing on retention through addressing the community’s needs by providing resources alongside our allies, we hope to maintain the Filipin@ presence on campus while playing a crucial role in the higher education experience of UCSC as a whole.”
