Fun, festivities, culture… FACT

As the summer winds down and the temperature drops, senior Janelle Gonzales can’t help but reminisce about what she was doing around this time last year. Preparing and cooking for potlucks, going to late night rendezvous, preparing for performances and dancing at countless of parties. Although many a student could say that they’ve done all the above things, what makes Gonzales’ experience different is that she shared these memories with fellow members of the Filipino Americans Coming Together, also known as FACT.

As the internal vice president, Gonzales said that the student organization, which currently has over 60 members and counting, is on a mission to help VCU and Richmond “advocate on behalf of the Filipino-American community through social, political, cultural and educational actions.” Besides holding several volunteer and social events throughout the year, building a sense of community among its members is one of the most important things for Gonzales. The organization encourages that message through its Kuya/Ate, or Big Brother/Big Sister program, which pairs each new member with a member who’s previously been involved with FACT. Gonzales says that the program was set up to give new members “someone to look up to, someone to show them the ropes” and get involved.

The organization works hand in hand with other university groups including the University of Virginia’s Organization of Young Filipino Americans, William & Mary’s Filipino American Student Association, and groups at Virginia Polytechnic University and State University and Old Dominion University through the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue. FIND allows Filipino organizations all along the east coast to network and work together in a common forum.

Filipino or not, Gonzales encourages all students to join because it’s a great way for students to “be a part of a family.”

Sophomore Katrina Manago, who’s been a member of FACT for the past two years, agrees.

“Meeting new people was one of the major reasons I joined,” Manago said, though more importantly, she emphasized, “You also learn a lot about your culture. It’s not as obvious as it seems but it is one of those ‘hidden educational’ things that you just learn from being a part of it.”

Although FACT has only held a few events so far this semester, Gonzales says she’s already anticipating Barrio Fiesta – which will be held Oct. 11 – and their most important event, their annual culture show, which will be during the spring semester. For now, Gonzales is just busy preparing for today’s Taste of FACT potluck, which will feature several authentic Filipino dishes, all prepared by members of FACT.

That is essentially what it is all about, Gonzales said. “Learning about a new culture, meeting new friends and expanding (your) social network … building close bonds.”

Perhaps for members of FACT, that’s what it really stands for.