By Aadi Mehta, October 7, 2025
With Filipino American History Month in full swing, students, staff and faculty are embracing the various traditions that speak to the heart of Filipino culture.
A former colony of Spain, the United States and Japan, the Philippines share several traditions with many cultures including language, Christmas celebrations and food. However, many Filipinos believe the history of colonization has led their culture to be overlooked.
“Some people don’t realize that we have a month as Filipino Americans,” said political science student and Barkada Cultural Chair Jared Al Beltran. “Having this month allows those people to really find that ability to connect with the culture. It’s a sign of that ability to appreciate the culture of myself, my peers, my family and just our culture.”
Barkada is the largest Filipino student organization on campus with a mission to promote Filipino culture and create an inclusive, warm and welcoming environment for all people, regardless of their ethnicity.
According to Beltran, one of the activities Barkada is engaging with this month is weaving Basahan rags, which are woven cloths made from textile materials to create doormats or potholders that represent values such as resourcefulness and sustainability. Other activities include karaoke and Filipino dances such as the Pangalay, also known as the “fingernail dance” for its use of hand and arm movements, and the popular folk Kuratsa.
A large part of Filipino American History Month on campus is spreading Filipino culture to the outside world while also honoring those back home in the Philippines.
“Colleges should celebrate to combat the idea that we should be ashamed and to bring more awareness to the stereotypes about Filipino culture,” said agricultural student and community logistics coordinator Keisha Odavar. “We host a donation drive called the balikbayan box where we collect clothes, goods and food and send them out to the Philippines.”
Odavar’s willingness to lead others and support the Filipino community has motivated her to engage in philanthropic efforts using her logistical skills.
As a first-generation Filipino American, Mary Anne Mendoza-Davé, a political science professor and Barkada faculty adviser, said her unique background encourages her to understand her history.
“Being Filipino American means reconciling two identities,” Mendoza-Davé said. “My parents immigrated in the ’80s and ’90s, but I was born here into that privilege. Being born in the U.S. offers opportunity, but it also means learning to hold both identities at once: the American one we grow up in and the Filipino one that reminds us of where we come from.”
Mendoza-Davé said her support is crucial to Barkada’s success because many other universities within the California State University system lack representation.
“We have a small number of Filipino or Filipino American faculty at Cal Poly,” Mendoza-Davé said. “Whenever we hire a new Filipino faculty, it’s a big deal because visibility is there.”
This semester, Mendoza-Davé teaches the Southeast Asian Governments and Politics upper-division political science course. In the class, Mendoza-Davé discusses the distinct colonial history of the Philippines.
“Every colonized country should have its histories as part of the curriculum,” Mendoza-Davé said. “… When you talk about the U.S.–Philippines relationship, use the word colonial as an adjective because it is laden with that history.”
Odavar hopes confidence and inclusivity in the Filipino community will resonate beyond Filipino American History Month, with some making a direct call to continue honoring traditions and creating shared identities.
“We should be proud of who we are and where we come from,” Odavar said.
The Barkada organization plans to hold its biggest event, the Pilipinx-American Cultural Night, in the spring. The event features a two-act show where coordinators teach traditional Filipino dance suites Beltran said are inherently part of the culture.
Next year, Barkada will reach its 36th annual PACN, which is one of the longest-running PACN’s among the CSUs. The PACN not only showcases cultural dances but holds a lineage of cultural chairs writing a play based on Filipino folklore.