Kathang-Pinay

R and M, two Fil Am grad students from USF and SFSU, spent a few hours with me over the weekend discussing the formation of PIGS (Pilipinos in Graduate Studies). (Don't laugh; UCBerkeley used to have a grad student association called PANGIT). The name notwithstanding, they do have serious intentions:1) to find other Filipino American graduate students in the Bay Area who need peer support as they work on their graduate programs; 2) to find Fil Am mentors in the academe; 3) to encourage undergrads to pursue graduate work that focuses on Filipino American issues and concerns -- in public health, education, human service, politics, etc.

More needs:
**the lack of support from their academic counselors and professors when they expressed their interest in pursuing research related to Fil Am issues.
**how to deal with feelings of discrimination and prejudice coming from professors
**how to think about the Filipino American community's needs and how these interconnect with diasporic, transnational, global issues.
**how to integrate one's personal life with an academic vocation
**how to have fun while doing all of the above.

I will forward your comments to R and M and will post an email address as soon as I get their permission.