NWFASA Conference

Hello FASA-heads, and welcome back from conference.

I really wish I could've ventured out to Gonzaga with you all - I could tell that everybody was pumped to go! Unfortunately, the Democratic Legislative District Caucus was on Saturday morning, and as a delegate for Obama, I felt that it was important to do my civic duty. But enough about my exploits.

What did you think of the NWFASA Conference? Why do we have this event - is there a point to it other than our own personal enjoyment?

Of course not - the power that is having so many charged Filipino American students from all around the Pacific Northwest is nothing short of awesome. The amount that we can learn from each other is so much more. The opportunities to network and work together is something that can only be beneficial.

How is our conference any different from other conferences that unite students from several universities? Is it just that because Conference applies to our lives as students and discusses issues of being Filipino that we value this sharing?

And this question extends to our own FASA here at the University as well. Is our presence here necessary, do we need to gather to have equal representation at UW and in America?

My own knee-jerk reaction is yes, and I don't think the existence of FASA or any other ethnic group is detrimental. The honest truth is that in America, everybody is trying to get a piece of the pie, and it seems like getting that piece is very hard. It is - not everybody in this country has the opportunities that we are opened to. Not everybody can go to university, or even graduate high school! The problem is when others assume that we as Filipino-Americans gain supposedly unfair advantages when the fact is that we have worked hard to get where we are.