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ASB 2012-2013 - The Fury of Our Struggle: Filipino-American Service, Migration, and Diaspora in the 21st Century

Basic Information
Application Process: 
ASB 2012-2013
Trip Name: 
The Fury of Our Struggle: Filipino-American Service, Migration, and Diaspora in the 21st Century
Trip Location: 
CA
Air Travel Trip: 
No
Number of Participants: 
12
Trip Description: 

What can you do against corrupt governments, migrant exploitation, wage discrimination, and violations of human rights? Get furious!

 In the past hundred years, the Philippines went from being America’s prize colony to America’s pivot in its “Pacific Century” of foreign policy. All this time, millions of Filipino im/migrants and their families have been finding “home" in America, seeking a better life and brighter future.  In the process, many challenges arose, to which many heroes rose to face them. Their struggles continue today.

 This winter, we aim to understand the conditions that brought Filipinos into different niches of American society, and the legacy of Filipino service and struggle. We will explore the continuation of this legacy by studying issues that currently face the Filipino community, including immigration policy, workers’ rights, and access to education. By doing so, we hope to discover where we, as Stanford students, fit within this legacy and within the communities fighting for social justice today.

 During Spring Break, we will embark on an odyssey across California to witness how contemporary organizations dealing with the issues mentioned above, and promote achievement, service, and struggle in the Filipino-American community.  By studying and engaging in service in these communities, participants will be able to make sense of the struggles in their own communities, regardless of ethnicity. Ultimately, we hope that this inclusive experience will inspire you to begin or continue contributing to the legacy of these struggles.

Trip Leaders
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Adrian Bonifacio

Hey everyone! My name is Adrian Bonifacio and I’m stoked to be going through this experience with y’all! I’m a second-generation Filipino-American from Chicago studying International Relations and Sociology, so U.S.-Philippine relations (especially though migration) have been really important to me both personally and academically. I’ve been involved with the Pilipino American Student Union at Stanford for four years now, and this year I’m one of Kayumanggi’s co-chairs. Off campus I’m involved with an activist youth organization, Anakbayan Silicon Valley, as the Education Officer. These experiences, including an ASB trip on Filipino issues I went on last year, have reinforced to me just how important educating ourselves about (and with) the community really is, and I hope that we’ll be able to do just this on our ASB. In my spare time I love dancing, eating, running, ironing, watching Seinfeld, and being with the people I love :)

Jomar Sevilla

Hi. I'm Jomar Sevilla and excited to be with you this year. I'm a friendly, idealistic first-generation Filipino from LA. This year, I am studying electrical engineering, computer systems, communication, and how technology fits in our lives.  I hold two campus jobs as a CA for the incomparable FroSoCo and as an Oral Communication Tutor.  I love being Filipino.  Last year serving as the Kababayan (Issues) chair of PASU (Pilipino-American Student Union) and NAFCON (National Alliance for Filipino Concerns) representative, I worked to inform and empower Bay Area Filipinos through their contemporary challenges.  In last year’s A.S.B. I learned about the history of my people’s struggle.  I aspire to be a worldly engineer who uses his passion and skills to serve the Filipino people.  If I could convey one thing in this A.S.B., it’d be culture and history are not just for amusement or identity; but an inspiration, a guide, a responsibility.  Being Filipino is the spark that ignites me:  exploding in the engine, expelling heat, unleashing potential energy, driving us forward.