The KasamaRep position is one of the most important Executive Board positions as it serves as the gateway between the membership and E-Board. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience and we’re all here to ride it. The KasamaReps serve as Executive Board members with an intention to lead and learn, hence the the reps are also called interns. All-in-all, a KasamaRep is a voice of the membership, a leader in training, and an Executive Board member. Below are your 2021-2022 KasamaReps.

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Sophomore KasamaRep Candidate

Tell us about one experience in Kasamahan that affected you (i.e. the way you see yourself, your culture or etc.)

Spring Semester UC4 was something that I’ll never forget about Kasamahan and my first year of college ever. Prior to coming to USF, I experienced a lot of internal conflict because of my surroundings and the things in my life at the moment- quarantine definitely put a toll on me. Because of that, I carried a negative attitude with me when I started Fall Semester, almost unhappy to be at USF. This feeling of loneliness also began to endure with being remote and not feeling connected to the campus culture.

However, I experienced an improvement in my well-being during Spring and as I reflect on all the positive things that happened, UC4 has been one of the biggest contributions to my happiness. Hopping on a Zoom for hours, whether it be to study or just vibe with everyone, was honestly something I looked forward to every week. I will say I was really hesitant to continuously come to UC4 since I was only a first-year who hadn’t actually met Kasamas in person. But I soon realized that didn’t matter because the purpose of UC4 was to connect and I felt connected. Seeing everyone’s beautiful faces each week, talking about random things or studying until 12am gave me the sense of affection that I longed for this entire school year. It gave me something to look forward to when we come back to campus, excited to form stronger relationships with the people I met.

It’s unfortunate that we had to have a virtual school year, but I’m happy I chose to keep coming back to UC4. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have felt so eager to stay in Kasamahan and wouldn’t have pursued this position of KasamaREP.

What are some ways that you think you would be able to represent and connect with your class? Consider the possibility of a mixed online/in-person Kasamahan environment. 

Coming to campus for the first time for our second year will almost feel like our first year with new surroundings and new people. This can make it feel intimidating to be involved or attend events. As a KasamaREP, I’d first push the promotion of our more popular and traditional activities such as Friendship Games, our KATE Program, and Barrio Fiesta. As someone who was able to participate in both the KATE Program and Barrio last year, these are great gateway events that I’d promote to my class to improve membership. My hope is that by getting to know the people who do participate in these activities will encourage them to come back.

I’d also continue the implementation of class events that our previous KasamaREPs executed this past year. I’d make sure that these events are accessible to those who are both on and off campus as we will be hybrid. Some ideas include live streaming in-person activities, making social media an interactive platform, and having occasional Zoom meetings with my class to both inform them on Kasamahan activities and just bond with one another. Our class missed an entire year to share experiences with each other, and focusing on simple connections through conversation, eating meals together, or hanging out, can nurture our class involvement within Kasamahan. 

From previous experience, how have you dealt with managing your time during stressful situations?

In situations where I have so much to do with such little time, I don’t deny that I feel overwhelmed. But after a small wave of panic, I try to react to my stress rather than just stress. One way that I often manage my time is through talking about my stress with friends/mentors and asking for their help. Usually, they provide me with different perspectives of my situation which provides potential paths of solutions to my problems. Asking for help is something we tend to avoid in order to prevent hurt pride, but help from others is one of the best ways to get things done. 

Another way I’ve dealt with time management is utilizing my bullet journal. My bullet journal is my ride or die: it has my weekly schedules, the goals I want to achieve, and also serves as a space for me to write my thoughts. When I’m stressed, I use my bullet journal more often to make lists, prioritize tasks, and structure my time by the hour. Writing things down and seeing things on paper help make things become more tangible. The feeling of checking off boxes or crossing of lists almost encourages me to get things done. The great part is that creating bullet journal spreads is also very calming for me and I actually enjoy doodling and stationary, which helps relax my mind. 

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Junior KasamaRep Candidate

What are some ways that you think you would be able to represent and connect with your class? Consider the possibility of a mixed online/in-person Kasamahan environment.

If given the chance to hold an in-person event, I would love to host a class picnic (maybe the grass by the church or Golden Gate Park) and ask everyone to bring their favorite food and share! There’s nothing comparable to bonding over our favorite, yummy foods. Or.. although this is not really COVID-friendly, having a kamayan would be such an amazing experience because not only are we enjoying each other’s company, but we would also be celebrating our culture and tradition. Beyond a fun and exciting event, I would also love to offer up a space to do wellness check-ins with each other and to encourage anyone to voice any concerns and needs to learn how I can better support and represent them. At the end of the day, my main goal is to bridge the gap between the executive board and my class as well as the gap between different classes. By gauging what my class needs, I hope to maintain transparency and clear communication of events and anything in between. My purpose is not to be THE voice for my class, but rather to empower and amplify their voices. Furthermore, I plan to constantly encourage my class to attend events as early as possible. I know it can be hard to go to something when you’ve already planned out your week, but I hope to promote my class in ways that work best for them.

What does being your own culture mean to you? What are some ways you can share this meaning with the members of Kasamahan?

Kapwa: I am not me without you. For me, being my own culture means creating a collective set of values and lessons from all the different parts of my life, living by and claiming them as pieces of my identity. I am not me without all the experiences, the victories, the fallbacks and all the people I’ve come across. I am not me without you.

I’ve moved to so many different places throughout my upbringing. In the Philippines, I learned the value of living the moment and cherishing every part of it. In Arizona, I learned the importance of valuing relationships despite the distance. In high school, I learned the value of being true to myself and the people around me. I brought all these lessons with me to college, where I was given the opportunity to go back to my roots and realized that all that I am is because of you.

In Kasamahan, you will find a tahanan. But being part of this tahanan is not as simple as finding a place of comfort. Being a part of this tahanan means being comfortable enough to challenge yourself and grow in the uncomfortability. Being a part of this tahanan means sharing a part of you as you learn more about yourself. I hope to create an open space where kasamas can learn stories while sharing their own. In every Kasamahan event, whether online or in person, I hope to encourage our kasamas to share bits and pieces of themselves where they will slowly realize that the more they give, the more they receive and learn who they are within.

What is one strength and one weakness you have? How do you think working in a team setting can help nurture and improve these qualities?

I can be too critical of myself. I’ve noticed a pattern over the past year of me constantly feeling like I could have done more or dwelling on the things that went wrong in my perspective, even if objectively, I’ve done well. This often leads to lack of self-care and burnout. But being surrounded by so many wonderful people has encouraged me to celebrate my wins, both big and small. By working in a team setting, I hope to continue recognizing not only my team’s hard work, but also mine. On another note, I have also learned to be adaptable in whatever change or problem that may come my way. I have experienced a lot of unexpected things during events or presentations, especially over zoom. But despite this, I have been able to keep my best foot forward, deal with the challenges, and simply go with the flow. But of course, this is not always possible without my team beside me. I hope to continue to grow in being flexible and problem solving alongside the executive board to tackle things in unity and solidarity. 

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Senior KasamaRep Candidates

Why are you interested in representing your class?

I owe it to Kasamahan for allowing me to meet so many great individuals, build lifelong friendships, and create a home for myself and others. After being active in Kasamahan since I was a freshman, it’s been amazing seeing how those in our class have grown and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for us for our final year. I can say with my whole heart that I have so much love for this organization!! I want to give back to our community and to create more opportunities for our seniors so that we can all make more memories before we graduate. As Kasamarep I understand that it is my responsibility to facilitate communication between E-Board and general membership, as well as fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment. I would be extremely honored and grateful if given the chance to do so. Regardless of whether or not we will be fully in person, I really want us all to make the most of our senior year and I would love to be the bridge that enables this.

Do you have any experience in a leadership position? If yes, where/when?

Currently, I work at the Learning, Writing, Speaking Center as the Front Desk Staff which is one of the many Peer Leader positions offered on campus! Here, I’ve gained and strengthened the ability to effectively communicate with my team and solve problems either independently or with the help of others. One of the biggest things I’ve learned from this position is that there’s always going to be people around you willing to help. Changing my belief that asking for help means that I am lacking/weak to a more abundant and strong mindset has helped me not only personally, but in a team setting as well. I was able to create more trust with those around me and feel supported at all times, which is something I hope to bring to Kasamahan’s E-Board. With these skills, I hope to help facilitate communication with our E-board and members, as well as be a helping hand to my fellow members and personally ask for help when needed.

What does being your own culture mean to you? What are some ways you can share this meaning with the members of Kasamahan?

I’ve always had a difficult time understanding my culture and my identity as someone who is mixed. What does it mean to be Filipinx-American? What can I learn more about my culture? Coming to Kasamahan and being in a space that honors our culture and shares it with so many other people who appreciate it has been empowering. I’ve come to understand that there is no textbook definition of being Filipinx. Our experiences, our culture, our ancestors is what brings us together, it is not something that can be simply defined by one stereotype. This is what I hope to share with the members of Kasamahan, while we also continue fostering our own definitions on what our culture means to us. The cultural workshops and Barrio Fiesta presented by Kasamahan are some of the resources that have helped me in learning more about Filipinx culture. But I have also learned so much through conversations with those around me. As Kasamarep I hope to encourage our members to learn about their culture through the resources Kasamahan offers or outside sources like SOMA or YPSP classes, and by connecting with one another as we go through these experiences together. 

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