Junior honors student Alyssa De Guzman’s resume is more than impressive.
As a Speech Language Hearing Sciences and Public Health major, De Guzman keeps herself busy with NAFFAA (National Federation of Filipino American Associations), Alpha Epsilon Delta a pre-professional honor society, and TUPAC, where she is the president.
TUPAC, the Temple University Philippine American Council, is comprised of approximately 50 students who are dedicated to spreading the Filipino culture around campus and informing students about their history. De Guzman began as a general body member during her freshman year, but eventually was elected president at the beginning of the fall 2018 semester. She spends a lot of time collaborating with her other executive board members to create engaging meetings for the rest of the general body members. They have held meetings surrounding the topics of traditional Filipino dances, as well as heavier topics like Filipino stereotypes and the Filipino identity.
We had a chance to interview De Guzman about her role within the organization.
Her Campus: What is the mission of TUPAC?
De Guzman: TUPAC’s mission is to spread awareness of the Filipino culture to Filipino students as well as non-Filipino students and to teach them what makes Filipino culture so great.
Her Campus: What was it like growing up Filipino?
De Guzman: I grew up in a town that was more than 50 percent Filipino, so it was very welcoming since everyone came from the same culture. Even people who weren’t Filipino had a lot of Filipino friends so it was easy for everyone to get along. I know some people [in TUPAC] whose towns were predominantly white so it’s really interesting to hear how they grew up and how they feel disconnected from the culture. But I grew up understanding the language [and] being around a lot of Filipino restaurants, so I was able to really immerse myself in the culture.
Her Campus: How do you feel about the Filipino representation on campus?
De Guzman: Well, before, the presence was very minimal. I think that’s because TUPAC was not as established, but recently, we’ve become more integrated in the Temple community and we’ve started collaborating with organizations that aren’t Asian so people are now starting to hear about us.
Her Campus: What do you hope TUPAC is able to do in the future?
De Guzman: I hope that TUPAC will be able to give Filipino and non-Filipino students a safe space to explore their culture. I hope that we will continue a legacy of students to continue joining TUPAC and that more people will be able to learn what it truly means to be a Filipino and how to claim their identity, especially since these are definitive years as college students.
For more information on TUPAC, visit their Facebook page or their Instagram