MABUHAY: FINDING STRENGTH AND JOY IN FILIPINO HERITAGE

The following text is a transcription of remarks made by
Alicia Kelly, Assistant Director of College Counseling, during an MS/US Assembly.

Mabuhay! For those that don’t know me, my name is Alicia Beduya Kelly and I’m one of three college counselors here at Waterford. This month of May is one of my favorites – selfishly, because it’s my birthday month – and, admittedly more importantly than my birthday, May is Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month. During this time, we take time to reflect and celebrate the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have played in our shared history. This month acknowledges the achievements, contributions, and cultural richness of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. This year, the Federal Asian Pacific American Council theme for AANHPI Heritage Month is “A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience.” This theme feels really relevant and apt, in a number of ways. It embraces both a tribute and a call to action: honoring the achievements of those who have paved the way while igniting the passions of those who will follow.

For me, personally, this also means celebrating my own heritage and ancestry as half-Filipina. My mother immigrated here from Danao City, Philippines, when she was just 18, without her family and without any support network other than her husband. She quickly began having kids and started her own family, while her parents and siblings were back home in the Philippines. Some family members have since passed, but they are still there to this day. I am so grateful I was able to visit — actually, 8 years ago this week, getting to meet my aunties and uncles and cousins for the first time.

In these photos, you’ll obviously see me with food my cousin April made for us – basically, barbecue pork skewers marinated in banana ketchup and sticky rice in those woven pockets in the middle. The top middle is from when my sister, brother-in-law, and mom visited our Tia Puring (my grandpa’s sister); the picture on the right is me, my brother, sister, and mom with my Papa Sonny and Mama Myrna (my grandparents). My grandparents lived with us for a bit when I was growing up, but this was the first time I had seen them in decades. The bottom photo is a big cousin picture – almost all I met for the first time.

When I visited my family in the Philippines, I noticed how much we laugh when we’re together, even if I was meeting them for the first time. And I noticed how much they give – whether it’s their time, their food, or their kindness and love. My family back home doesn’t have a lot; materially, monetarily, etc. Twelve family members live under the same roof of a small home in the Philippines. But what we do have is a lot of love, and a lot of love for one another. 

To me, being Filipino means resiliency, it means being hospitable and empathetic, and it means joy and laughter through it all. These values my mother instilled in me were passed down from generation to generation: even if times are tough, we are tougher. We find joy in everything we do, and we can put our head down and get through whatever it is that comes our way. And, we do it all with a loving community at our side. 

Being Filipino is one of my favorite things about myself, if not my most favorite. If you stop by my office in this building, the first thing you’ll see is the flag of the Philippines behind my desk. I love the food, of course; I’m slowly learning how to make my mom and grandma’s best dishes of lumpia, adobo, and sinigang. I love my long dark hair; I love my dark brown eyes. I love getting the opportunity to learn about the indigenous ways my ancestors lived and loved; spiritually and through traditions. Most of all, I love feeling the strength in my heart and in my bones that I know I got from my ancestors. 

And, because I have felt that within my own self – I easily get to see it in others. I love getting to see the strength and joy in all of you. 

This morning, I introduced myself with my full name, which I don’t normally do. Beduya is my mom’s maiden name, and her middle name, Ypil, is my grandmother’s maiden name. By speaking it here today, I honor my ancestry and my heritage. I greeted you with a traditional saying in Tagalog meaning “Cheers!”,“Best wishes!”, or “Long life!”. I don’t formally speak Tagalog or Visayan, but I do say “Mabuhay” frequently – again, to honor my ancestry and heritage and because it truly embodies the essence of my culture: wanting the best and the success for others and in community. I also say “Mahal kita” frequently and as often as I can, or “Mahal ko kayo” – both meaning “I love you” to the individual, or “I love you” to a group, respectively.

So, with that said: Mahal ko kayo. Take time to learn more about the cultures and the people around you. Take time to celebrate your favorite things about yourself… It’s important to do that every now and then. Take time to acknowledge the strength and joy you each have surrounding you and within you. Laugh often. Tell the people you love that you love them. Remember and recognize your own resiliency, while it might not be through the same cultural means as mine – you each have it within yourselves. Maraming salamat po, thank you.