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Filipina-American student group wins prestigious global citizenship grant
Members of Mayfield’s Filipina Affinity Group are the proud winners of a grant that enables them to connect with students in the Philippines.
Like teenagers tend to do when they video chat, the girls laughed a lot, showed off some hip-hop dance moves and talked about their favorite foods. On one screen, members of Mayfield’s Filipina Affinity Group were gathered in their Strub Hall classroom. On another, students assembled in the auditorium of their own school, the Maria Droste Training Center in Banawa Hills, Cebu City in the Philippines, a residential center for the children of former sex workers and victims of human trafficking. The relationship was made possible after the Mayfield Filipina Affinity Group won a prestigious grant, awarded by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools (NCGS). Their standout project, Filipinas In Leadership And Mutuality (FIL-AM), gave them the resources to reach out to students in the Philippines and begin an enriching cultural and educational exchange. Mayfield students drew on our school’s curriculum to prepare and export a series of teen-centric health and wellness classes to the Filipina students. In return, students at Maria Droste provided
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POSTSCRIPTS 2019
Tagalog lessons to our students, who want to learn more about the native language of their parents. “We really began to make connections and build friendships,” said Kristina Vu ’21. “We all share a common ethnic background and it was all so special because these are girls our age and we both brought different gifts and skills to share with each other.” Mayfield’s selection as winner of the Moulton Student Global Citizen Grant is a credit to our students’ creativity, determination, curiosity and sense of empathy. Megan Murphy, NCGS Executive Director, lauded Mayfield students’ vision to “raise issues of diversity and build relationships through listening and shared experiences.” The award was announced last fall. After weeks of planning and jittery anticipation, our girls made their first personal contact in January with the Filipina students. Mayfield students carefully scripted the first meeting via Skype at 5 p.m., Pacific Time, 9 a.m. the next day in the Philippines. There would be introductions and plans for future sessions. The Mayfield girls also prepared questions to help them connect. One insightful query was, “What aspect of Filipino culture do you find that Filipino Americans are proud of that native Filipinos may regard as insignificant?” They had used the $1,000 Moulton grant for equipment and educational software platforms that allowed them to share video lessons and discussions. When the camera turned on and our students saw a room full of girls and faces just like theirs, both sides broke out in cheers. The younger Filipina girls showed off their hip-hop routine. The high school and college-age girls performed a cherished traditional dance to the Santo Niño de Cebú, the Holy Child, a revered image of the Child Jesus in the Philippines. The exchange quickly turned into a virtual trans-Pacific party. “What kind of food do you like?” one of our students asked. “Lechon!” a Filipina student shouted and both schools erupted in cheers over their shared love for this Filipino pork roast favorite. “What do you think of the new Miss Universe?” All gave a thumbs-up cheer for Catriona Gray, the reigning Miss Philippines
