LAKAS Recap
All you need to know about LAKAS:)
WHEN: Friday, February 24th from 3-5PM
WHERE: Sadler Center, Tidewater B
What is LAKAS you ask? Great question! In Tagalog, lakas translates as strength, which is key for characterizing this event as we explore our own strengths pertaining to the greater APIA community. It also stands for our biennial Leadership and Community Action Summit (except spelled with a “k”)😇. This year’s theme focuses on the intersection of professional research, career, and being a member of the APIA community.
To kickstart the event, we received word from our very own, the lovely Zeta Atoigue, along with our lovely Vice President, Woojin Yoon, who introduced the event to all of the guests.🤍
Afterwards, we were all introduced to our first guest speaker: the wonderful Professor Jamora. Professor Jamora makes abstract paintings that feature colors from his memories, photos of loved ones, landscapes, and artifacts from family, ultimately asking the viewer to reflect on the meanings and power of color. He is an Assistant Professor in the Art Foundation Program at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, William & Mary Asian Centennial Distinguished Fine Arts Fellow, and Lecturer of Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies at William & Mary. His paintings, drawings, and prints are part of collections including the Atlanta Hawks NBA Team, Capital One Art Collection, Harvard University-John F. Kennedy School of Government, Muscarelle Museum of Art at William & Mary, and private collections throughout North America, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines.He enlightened us on his journey to portraying the APIA community through his art and teachings. We learned about the value of creating a space for the APIA community, as well as his contributions here at William & Mary.
Following Prof Jamora, we had Professor Pineda, an associate professor of English, who very thoroughly discussed his writings and his APIA roots. Professor Pineda is the author of six books: two novels, three poetry collections, and one memoir. His work has appeared in numerous literary magazines and anthologies, including the New York Times Magazine, Shenandoah, and Sierra Club, and has twice received the Library of Virginia Literary Award. A 2022 Virginia Center for the Creative Arts fellow, he is a core faculty member in the MFA program at Queens University of Charlotte and has taught in their Latin America MFA program in Rio de Janeiro and in Buenos Aires. He has served on the teaching faculty at Kundiman, a “national nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing generations of writers and readers of Asian American Literature,” and is Associate Professor of English here at William & Mary.
Our third guest speaker is a fellow W&M alumni, Luigi Almirante who graduated in 2021. While at the college, he was an APIA major and a biochemistry minor. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a recipient of the Freemen Fellow Internship in 2019. He is now a second year medical student at Eastern Virginia Medical School. It was delightful to gain perspective from a former FASA member and learn about how he has navigated through his profession.
Our fourth and final guest speaker is the lovely Camille Zeraat. Camille served as President of FASA last year 2021-22. During her tenure as the president, Camille organized the Asian Centennial Ball, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first Asian student to be admitted to William and Mary. Additionally, she was also responsible for the historic marker bearing Art Matsu’s name to be erected outside of the Zable stadium in commemoration of the first Asian student to play for the football team. In addition to her accomplishments at FASA Camille was also a recipient of the Freeman fellowship and the Cypher award. The Cypher Award honors individuals whose contributions reflect the primary values of the university and represents the very best of W&M students. Today, Camille currently serves as a consultant at Guidehouse Defence & Security, where she continues to excel in her work.
Overall, LAKAS was a huge success! This event would not be possible without the hardwork of Melvin, our External Director, and our External Committee: Isha Alaina, Ian Kung, and Mia Lunati! Thank you to everyone who came out!!🇵🇭