For some students on campus, events like Mabuhay will feel like a space to share and appreciate Filipino culture. For others, Mabuhay may even feel like a tiny piece of home. 

On Nov. 14 from 5-7 p.m. in SURC 137A and 137B, Mabuhay will be hosted by the Filipino American Student Association (FASA). 

According to the CWU website, FASA is meant to incorporate Filipino heritage on campus by hosting events, traveling to other universities and weekly meetings with workshops.

Performances at the Mabuhay event will include Tinikling (bamboo dance), Maglalatik (coconut dance) and Himig ng FASA (melodies of FASA).

According to Causing, the following food will be served at the event: Lugaw (rice pudding), Pancit (rice noodles) and Lumpia (egg roll). The caterer of the event will be Lutong Pinoy, a local Filipino restaurant. 

Corsilles said that one of the employees at Lutong Pinoy is a big part of the FASA organization.

“Her name is Marrietta and she provides a lot for us, especially for our events,” Corsilles said. “This shows our values, our hospitality and our family aspect. She is not related to us, [but] we call her auntie anyways.” 

FASA member Deanna Corsilles is a senior and law and justice major. Corsilles mentioned that Mabuhay is similar to “welcome back” in translation.

President of FASA Ione Causing is a senior majoring in language and literature. Causing said the event will be free and open to everyone. 

“Mabuhay means to educate and celebrate. I don’t think we have a lot of events that show our presence as Filipinos,” Causing said. “The prominent thing about this [event] is it means we can share our culture and our culture is basically built on food and sharing. We try to show people that you can embrace our culture and you can eat our food. We share it because that’s what our values are.”

Toni Pridemore, a sophomore and computer science major, mentioned what the Mabuhay event means to her.

“[Mabuhay] is like a sneak peek to our event, Barrio. We have performances, culture and food there as well,”  Pridemore said. “I love sharing our culture on campus with everyone. I feel really comfortable and the people of [FASA] have made me feel very welcome. It really helped me settle in rather than feeling alienated.”

Causing mentions how she feels about sharing Filipino culture with others. She also adds what she wants students to know about Mabuhay and FASA.

“I feel that sharing Filipino culture should be a quarterly occurrence,” Causing said. “People tend to forget about organizations around school. I think it’s cool to celebrate and embrace [the culture] with other people. We want [students] to know that you don’t have to be Filipino to go to FASA or Mabuhay.”

Corsilles said it’s important to share the Filipino culture with CWU students, staff and the Ellensburg community. 

“I know the Filipino community here isn’t that big,” Corsilles said. “And [Mabuhay] is like showing a home away from home.”

Chloe Manigo is a sophomore film production major who moved from Alaska to Ellensburg.

“I felt very out of place here in the beginning. I am from Alaska and there was a small tight-knit group,” Manigo said. “Like [Corsilles] said, [FASA] was like a home away from home. And it gave me the ability to make friends and become a better person. Everyone here is so nice and I just want to dedicate a lot of time to them.”

Causing shows her message to those who wish to attend Mabuhay. She also mentions her final thoughts on the event. 

“I want guests to feel with a sense of belonging. And I want [guests] to feel welcome and know we are here with open arms,” Causing said.