On Wednesday, April 21, the Kababayan Learning Community (KLC) and Outreach & Student Recruitment office hosted its’ first ever virtual Discover Kababayan. Discover Kababayan is an opportunity for local high school students to gain college exposure and discover all things Skyline College providing both cultural enrichment as well as increase comfort with an academic environment.
This year’s Discover Kababayan welcomed over 30 students from Jefferson High School and Westmoor High School’s Kapatiran program; a mentorship program and a college pipeline focusing on Filipinx/Filipinx-American curriculum around identity, culture, history and college success. Students from Skyline College’s Filipinx Student Union (FSU) were also among the group of participants.
Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, founder of Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP) and Professor of Ethnic/Asian-American Studies and Educational Leadership at San Francisco State University, was this year’s guest speaker and kicked off the program by sharing her own personal story, “Tanga”, transitioning from high school to community college. Her experiences, a simple story with relatable cultural themes and emotions, resonated powerfully with students.
Dr. Liza Erpelo, Jayde Nieve, Camille Pangilinan and Jairil Pangilinan (current KLC students), served on a panel moderated by Alvin Gubatina. The panelists shared their backgrounds in becoming one with Skyline College’s KLC and for students, how their involvement on campus, such as a learning community, has impacted their educational journey. As part of the Discover Kababayan experience, high school participants were invited to sit in on virtual classes to experience what being a student is like at Skyline College. Courses such as HIST 436 – Filipinos in America, ENGL 104 – Applied English Skills for Cultural Production and COUN 100 – College Success were part of the list of course offerings.
Despite being virtual and missing the opportunity to showcase the campus and its’ lively spirit in-person, the event was still engaging and overall a huge success. “I learned about the community at Skyline, courses that I can take, and beneficial resources they offer” – High School Participant.
A special thanks to Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, Dr. Liza Erpelo, Alvin Gubatina, Jayde Nieve, Camille Pangilinan, and Jairil Pangilian for their involvement and support in executing this year’s Discover Kababayan.
Article by Jeremy Evangelista-Ramos
Photo by Dr. Liza Erpelo
