Reginald is currently the president of the GHS Filipino Club, vice president of our marching band and section leader for the bass section. He is also serving as an ASB Commissioner, and he plays the bass drum in the marching band, even though he used to play the trombone.

Reginald first got involved with the Filipino Club during his freshman year. He said, “Filipino Club is a community where you meet a lot of people who have the same interests as you.” During his sophomore year, he volunteered to help the club during Round Up, which got him more involved and committed.

Reginald decided to step in as the club president as a junior, because he knew that he could do what Aulani Vinas had done last year, where she brought a lot of aspects of the Filipino culture to the students of GHS. He wanted the club to flourish more to the extent of other people joining, and not just Filipinos.

Reginald is able to balance his time as club president and as the vice president of marching band. If he’s with his friends in marching band, he focuses on his responsibilities there, and if there’s a club meeting for the Filipino Club, he steps in and plays his role there.

Reginald feels that the whole purpose of the Filipino Club is to “share the Filipino cultures and traditions, not just for the Filipinos [on our campus] but also for the non-Filipinos who want to learn about the Philippine culture.” Also, part of their fundraising money goes to supporting Filipino organizations.

During club meetings, everyone observes the different Filipino traditions. and sometimes they will have potlucks for club members who meet the requirements. All seniors are able to get graduation cords if they commit to the club.

The biggest challenge that Reginald and his cabinet members have faced so far was Round Up on October 1st, because it required a lot of organization and preparation and they needed to buy a lot of materials. There were also a lot of people who wanted to volunteer during the event, but they had to cut people off because there were too many interested in helping. 

Reginald offered Round Up as one of their community service opportunities, so that people could earn their hours, and it was also a great opportunity to sell, cook and help promote the club. They are also going to try to fundraise during lunch or after school, so other people can volunteer and raise money for the club and for their potlucks.

Reginald’s favorite part of being a president is running club meetings, because he sees a lot of people who are interested in learning about Filipino culture. This makes him really happy, because people are willing to learn about the Philippines. After he graduates from high school, Reginald sees himself pursuing a career of architecture and probably going to USC or UC Berkeley.

If you are interested in joining the Filipino Club, please contact Ms. Castaneda at [email protected], or follow their Instagram: @ghs.filipinoclub.  

Mabuhay, Nitros!