Community & Advoacy

Approaching the 50th anniversary of Martial law rule in the Philippines, I participated in the first Martial law vigil ever held in the state of Florida. During this vigil, we held space and honored the many lives lost to the vicious and corrupt political violence in the Philippines. My role in the vigil was to represent The Asian Student Association at UCF as the current standing President. I attended the vigil to speak on behalf of a victim who was unable to attend. Additionally, I led a creative event on campus with over a dozen students to create personal and striking posters to utilize during the ceremony.

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An event of this magnitude was very challenging to plan and execute. Some of the most challenging aspects of the interactions I had were attempting to bridge the gap between generations and facilitating planning efforts amongst several separate organizations.  It was difficult to get the younger generation of Filipino advocates to be engaged in the movement and to connect with older adults who may or may not share the same viewpoints. Additionally, the vigil included four distinct registered student organizations from UCF and organizations all around Florida. As a representative of one of the groups, I became a liaison between the vigil organizers and my organization, so effective communication was very important. In order to combat these challenges, I participated in and led orientation workshops for student advocates to learn about the purpose and mission of the vigil, as well as helped facilitate educational conversations among generations. In the future, I would opt for more efficient communication strategies, such as scheduling joint virtual meetings with all organizations and ensuring that all are up to date on event advancements.

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This experience was extremely educational and valuable for my personal and professional growth. It was very rewarding to learn more about my cultural history alongside a non-profit organization, as well as participate in a groundbreaking event that is the first of its kind. I participated in this event as the President of my organization, so it was very rewarding to give back to my community while fulfilling my organization’s mission. To create this experience in the future, I hope to continue to be a trailblazer in my community by advocating for minority voices and fostering environments that span generations, cultures, and communities. 

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Overall, I was able to move my passion for advocacy from the campus to the community. I enjoyed venturing into a new opportunity, outside of my comfort zone and norm, to discover new interests and foster new networks within my local community and around Florida. I look forward to continuing to be involved in future advocacy events that uplift minority voices and educate our community.