Whether it’s being a big sister, “ate” (see Tagalog to English translation), or sorority little/ future big, Chelsey Pangilinan has it down. She makes a sister wherever she goes whether it be on coop in Ottawa or on-campus with her peers. She seems to know someone wherever she is.
Chelsey has only one biological sister (me), but has countless others through comradery and her ability to build strong bonds with people.
As President of UWFSA, she is a leader of a band of Filipinos who host cool events for not only Filipinos, but also those who are Filipino at heart. This year she decided to rush for a sorority called Sigma Lambda Gamma where she gained (yet another) family of sisters.
HerCampus sat down with Chelsey to get an inside look on how she balances school and sisterhood.
1. How would you describe yourself?
Cheerful. Fun-loving. Busy. I think I would describe myself as someone that always needs to be around people and always needs to be doing something, whether that’s spending time with my friends and family or working on projects for school or my extracurricular activities.
2. What’s it like being president of such a huge club?
Being President of the Filipino Student’s Association this year has definitely been a challenging but rewarding task. This is the first time that I’ve been in a president role, so I’ve had to adjust and learn how I want to lead and what I want our club to look like both for our execs and for our members. But it has definitely paid off, as I’ve not only been able to see our club grow, new faces coming out to events, and hosting some of our biggest events to date, but also being able to watch the execs on my team also grow into leaders – that’s really rewarding.
3. What advice would you give to future leaders/ presidents?
What I would say to future leaders is definitely trust your instincts. Your instincts and your gut feelings are usually what’s gotten you into this leadership position anyway, so they’re doing something right. Follow the drive and passion that got you to this point and be confident in where you want to go from here. On the other side, don’t be afraid to ask for help from others. You are still only one person and as much as you may want to, you can’t possibly do everything by yourself.
4. What’s your biggest obstacle this semester?
I think lately I’ve been struggling with balance. Schoolwork is fairly straightforward, but sometimes I just don’t have enough hours in the day to do that and all my extracurriculars that make me happy. I really don’t want to say no to my extracurriculars and social events, but I know that I probably should to save my sanity. (Not that I always do, I mean, if I get stuck on Netflix I’m there for a solid five hours.)
5. What would you tell your freshman self?
I would tell myself “GET UP OFF THE FLOOR, LADY.” In freshman year I got into a really weird funk where I really didn’t want to do my work, it just didn’t motivate or inspire me at all. I know that my experiences led me to where I am now, but I would say if I could have found that drive and passion then that I have now for both my studies (WOO FRENCH) and for my extracurricular activities, that would have made all the difference.
6. If you could pick one item, what would you bring with you to an island paradise?
A camera. I’m really a sentimental person so I love keeping photos of good times.
7. What do you like most about Waterloo?
I think the more I think about it, Waterloo was just the place where I was supposed to end up. I have my undergrad program that I love, I met my boyfriend here, I’ve met some amazing friends that I know I’ll keep for life, and now my family is here too (aka Delilah, my cat). Toronto will always be home for me, but I’ve already learned so much just from being in this town and at UW that I couldn’t really imagine who I’d be if I didn’t come to Waterloo and stay. Also I really am developing an addiction to Kinkaku, so yeah, I’d say that’s also something I like most about Waterloo.
8. What’s an essential characteristic for being a true sister?
I think this is hard because I love my biological sister, and I also love my sorority sisters (GO SIGMA LAMBDA GAMMA). For both, I think what really matters is just caring. Taking the time to listen and be there when someone needs you, and respecting them so that hopefully you can get that respect back. If I’m being honest, I still think I have a lot to work on in terms of being a sister. Sometimes it gets tiring or you’re not always in the mood to be a good sister, but I think that’s okay too as long as you’re being honest and genuine with the people you care about.
Chelsey is an inspiration for us all. Thanks for taking the time to sit with us, sister!