The Asian and Pacific Islander Program of New Mexico State University hosted a Filipino History Month celebration on Oct. 17, 2024. Students and professors came together to learn about and experience a new culture, while others got to share and celebrate their culture with peers.
Filipino History Month began at the beginning of October and celebrates the first arrival of Filipinos in the United States. Chadrhyn Pedraza, an advisor for API, made dozens of crafts at the event for others to learn and replicate. She shared sentimental memories of how she learned how to make these Filipino crafts.
“My mom showed me over time. She’s Filipina and my dad is too. I also Googled a lot of things, being Filipino American, myself, sometimes it’s hard to balance both cultures,” Pedraza said. “So, there are some things that I know, but I don’t know everything, so I really sat down and looked at all of the instructions that were easiest to do at an event like this.”
Pedraza further explained how she is still learning more and more about her Filipino culture every day.
“My research focuses on how we understand [culture] and what does it mean to be Asian American here in the U.S. or Pacific Islander, especially because we have to recognize the moments when we have been colonized,” she said.
Pedraza continued with how she has tried to incorporate Filipino culture into her life, and how she is constantly learning new things about her culture.
“I’ve been trying to understand that even if I don’t speak Filipino well — like I do speak the language, it’s twisted and kind of like Spanglish — but that it’s still a really important part of myself because I grew up with it,” Pedraza said. “So, I keep trying so I can transfer it to my kids. The language is a bit harder to learn but knowing that I can be American, and I can be Filipino at the same time, and there’s that richness in there that just allows me to share that with the world in a way that’s different.”
Many students got to explore Filipino culture through crafts and food, many expressed excitement to learn more about the
vibrant heritage. Sarhan Bhuiya, who works for the Office of Equity Inclusion and Diversity, shared what he wanted to learn from the event.
“I think I would like to know more about the diverse culture or social norms of Filipino culture. Maybe talking with some of the Filipino students here, I might get to know more about their culture. That’s the main reason I am here,” Bhuiya said.
Rose Ghasemi, a graduate student, explained her
reasoning for attending the celebration of Filipino History Month was to learn more about the culture.
“I [would] like to know more about this culture, and I really would like to travel to visit in person someday. The culture, people, food and everything. But I think the presentation that was given and the slides that were provided are something to help me get familiar with everything,” she said.
Students can find more events with the Asian Pacific Islander Program and learn more the cultures represented in this program by following their Instagram @nmsu_api or going to their website.
