References
Kasama, U. N. C. (2022). Big and Little Ceremony. Retrieved October 24, 2022 from https://www.instagram.com/.
Script:
As a South Asian, I have grown to appreciate my culture and joined cultural organizations at UNC such as UNC Sangam and UNC Tamil Student Organization to stay connected with my culture away from home. Being a person of color, I wanted to learn and observe another cultural organization, so I chose to research UNC Kasama, which is the Filipino American Student Association of UNC-Chapel Hill that was founded to serve as a source of information and support system network for Filipino students.
Specifically, I chose to research what motivates the Filipino student population at UNC to join and participate in Kasama, and how they benefit from it. To start, I went to one of their biggest events as an organization: the big and little ceremony, which is a mentorship program where the upperclassmen known as the bigs meet their underclassmen known as the littles and mentor them throughout the year. There, I saw numerous smiles on people’s faces as littles were eager to know who their bigs were, and vice versa. Around 8:30 p.m. on a Thursday, the ceremony began at Chapman Hall. The president introduced herself, and two people in leadership stood on chairs holding a large-sized flag of the Philippines. As they called the little’s names, I could see the nervousness of each big as they walked down in front of the flag, and once the little’s name was called, the people holding the flag would drop it to the ground and unveil the little. Immediately, the big and little would hug each other in joy, and some would even jump on and hug each other in delight, huddle up together, or even the bigs would pick up their little, making them feel like they were on top of the world.
Eventually, once everyone discovered who their big and little was, they put their arms around each other and took pictures like they were a family, which they called Kasamilya. Once pictures were taken, they gave out snacks and drinks as everyone socialized, and I met a nice girl named Khristine and asked to interview her.
A few days later, I interviewed Khristine at Koury Residence Hall. From this interview, I learned that she made some of her first friends through Kasama when first coming to UNC when she did not know a lot of people and felt great at the first meeting by being surrounded by those who understood her culturally and related to her. She also felt that she connected with people in Kasama easier because of the shared connection of being Filipino, and her favorite event so far was the big and little ceremony and going to do karaoke later that night.
Overall, to answer the question, I learned that members joined Kasama because it is a home away from home for them and are more comfortable interacting and becoming friends with each other because they share the same culture, and most importantly, love their culture. Although this can’t be said for everyone in Kasama because it’s based on only two observations, I feel like it can be said for most people based on the joy and love I saw and felt when going to the ceremony and interview I had. To solidify my answer more in the future, I can go to more Kasama events and better understand what motivates other Filipino students at UNC to participate in Kasama, and how they benefit from it.
Explication of Research:
Preface:
As a South Asian myself, specifically Eelam Tamil from Sri Lanka, I can relate to other South Asian countries’ cultures like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and more. However, other than South Asian cultures, I wanted to explore another Asian culture that is not part of South Asia. So, I decided to explore the Filipino people and their culture, who are from the Philippines, which is located in South East Asia. The reason behind this is that my suitemate is Filipino and I wanted to be more aware of her culture, and I have also heard a common stereotype about cultural organizations at UNC is that they are cliquey and not inclusive of everyone. Therefore, to be more aware of other cultures and see if this stereotype is true or not, I decided to research Kasama on what motivates the Filipino student population at UNC to join and participate in Kasama, and how they benefit from it.
Background:
Around the country, there are many cultural organizations at schools and colleges for students, including cultural clubs for Filipino students. In one study of Filipino College Students at a four-year university in Hawai’i, Filipino students develop their ethnic identities by discussing why students felt the need to learn their native language known as Tagalog. The study states, “As it did for other participants, Marc learned his ethnic language for the potential benefits, such as being able to connect on a deeper level with his community members. He found that learning Tagalog improved his communication with Filipino community members, and improved trust with them since he identified as a community advocate” (Benitez, 2019, p. 38). This shows that one reason students learn Tagalog is to connect with their family and loved ones. In regards to our local Filipino organization at UNC known as Kasama, it is a “student organization at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which has been founded for the purpose of serving as a source of information and dissemination on Filipino culture and a support system network for Filipinos, Philippine-affiliated, and those who seek interest in the Filipino culture and want to learn more” (Kasama, 2022, p.1). The purpose is to provide an outlet and open environment for Filipino Americans at UNC Chapel Hill to explore their culture.
Observational Data & Analysis:
Observation 1:
On September 29 at 8 p.m. at Chapman Hall in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, I saw about fifty to sixty enthusiastic Filipino students in Kasama laughing and cheerfully talking to each other as they eagerly waited for Bigs to meet their Littles and Littles to meet their Bigs, which is simply where new and returning members are partnered up to be mentors and mentees. According to Kasama’s president, Big and Little is translated to ate/Kuya and ading in Tagalog.
The ceremony began as they called the little’s names, seeing the nervousness on each little’s face to discover their big. Immediately when their big was called, the big and little would hug each other in joy. Some would even jump on and hug each other in delight, huddle up together, or even the bigs would pick up their little. As I witnessed this event, I felt a warm sensation and could tell that their culture is so friendly and welcoming and that they know how to crack jokes and have fun as well. During the big and little ceremony, I could feel the love and fun from all the Filipino students interacting with each other as I overheard them discussing their similarities and what they love about their culture.
Observation 2:
It was October 5 as I sat in the lounge of Koury Residence Hall in Chapel Hill, NC, at 4 p.m., where I met up with a freshman named Khristine, whom I met at the big and little event for an interview. I asked what made her feel connected to the people in Kasama, and she said, “Even though it’s my first year in Kasama, I instantly felt at home when I came to the first meeting. Something about being surrounded by people who understand you culturally and relate to you in that way felt really great. I’ve been a little homesick lately but being in Kasama helps in a way. Also, I haven’t really made a lot of friends since coming to UNC but being in Kasama, I have met a lot of people already.” Hearing her response, I was shocked and could relate to her as a person of color myself as I joined TSO (Tamil Student Organization) for the same exact reason, to make new friends and stay connected to my culture away from home. Secondly, I asked why she joined Kasama, and she mentioned how her sister was in it before and that she hadn’t really made friends yet at UNC, so it was a good opportunity to do so. She also said she gets to learn more about my culture and have fun while doing it and that Kasama is tight-knit. Usually, when I hear my friends in other cultural organizations, I hear how there are cliques within the association. It was heart-warming to learn how inclusive and close everyone in Kasama is and proved my assumption false. All in all, from this interview, I gained useful insight into how members of Kasama feel and why they join.
Conclusion:
Overall, to answer my question of why Filipinos join and participate in Kasama and how they benefit from it, the sole reason is because of their love for their own culture and people. My initial assumption of Kasama being a cliquey organization was disproved as well based on the laughter and kindness I observed when members of the club interacted with each other, and no one was left out. This surprised me because in some of the South Asian cultural organizations I am in, I have seen that there are certain cliques that do not interact with other members of the organization. Additionally, I learned that Filipino students at UNC join Kasama to have a deeper connection and understanding of their culture so they can connect with their loved ones easier, and can even feel a sense of belonging whenever they visit the Philippines by knowing their native language and culture through the events that are hosted and people from Kasama. If I had the chance to in the future, I would want to learn more about the specific traditions and cultures in Filipino culture, as well as their food, clothing, and other aspects of their culture.
References
Benitez, S. (2019, May). A Multiple Case Study on the Identities of Immigrant College Students in a Filipino Language Club. University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2299447787/8FAF86C447CC412FPQ/1?accountid=14244.
Kasama – The Filipino American Association Of UNC-CH. (2022). Heel Life. https://heellife.unc.edu/organization/kasama.
Featured Image Source
Google Images, for free and fair reuse.