Sumalinog was President Bayan-E year (2017-2018). Some of ya’ll might even know her as Legac-E year’s Vice President (2015-2016) and Fanc-E year’s Secretary (2014-2015). She is a paragon of Barkada, and the epitome of a hero. For those who don’t know, Pia named her President board year Bayan-E after the word ‘bayani’. Bayan-E board’s definition of bayani is “a hero of the people; a warrior that perserveres through inner battles; a force that stands for culture, friendship, and our well-being as Filipino Americans”. Through her board experience, Pia impacted the Barkada community through her work ethic, her charisma, and her ability to just be herself. Her passion for Barkada represents the bayani spirit. Pia majored in Business Administration: Computer Information Systems. She graduated in 2018 and is currently working full time in IT at a payroll company providing app support and project management. In her free time, she spends her weekends with her friends and family. She loves to dance. In fact, she was a Polynesian dancer for eleven years. Pia has been dancing for a long time but she also knew about Barkada since a young age. Pia’s uncle, Jay Radaza, was elected President for the 1992-1993 academic year. During a camping trip later that year, he heroically lost his life trying to save a drowning friend. During his lifetime, he was an inspiration to all to spread joy & become leaders. Years later, the story of his sacrifices continues to encourage others. In fact, Barkada has a scholarship named after him to recognize and honor his life. Pia never met Jay, but participating in the same things he did in Barkada made her feel connected to him and like she was living vicariously in his memory. Jay’s friends became her aunts and uncles who supported her throughout her life, which helped her feel connected to him. In fact, her godfather Ralph was Jay’s best friend and he was there for her from baptism to college graduation, and even helped her land her current job. Coming into college Pia decided to join Barkada. She wanted to learn more about her culture because there was more American culture than Filipino culture in her household. She saw Barkada as an opportunity and she took Barkada by storm. Pia wanted to be part of the club in a greater way. Watching how remarkable Dream-E board was, she saw it as an opportunity to give back. She decided to run for Secretary. During Fanc-E year, she played to her strengths. Extremely detail oriented and organized, she supported Barkada behind the scenes and helped keep Barkada on tiptop shape. Her favorite moment Fanc-E year was during Friendship Games when she was hype leader. Their theme was the Cat in the Hat and everyone loved it. They almost won Friendship Games that year. Her other favorite moment that year was Sportsfest. She had fun working with her Athletics Chair, Shaugn Mallari, and her treasurer, Anthony Devera. Moreover, during Fanc-E year, Barkada called her “the Girl on Fire” because of her red hair. Her fiery passion didn’t stop there because she ran for Vice President that year after Legac-E year. She saw it as another opportunity to help nurture the newer members to become the best leaders they can be. As a result, she created Internship Board, a board designed to give members a behind the scenes look to the executive board. Her favorite moment Legac-E year was her Barkada’s Got Talent performance when the executive board did a dance to Justin Bieber’s song “Sorry” because it was in conjunction with their E-Board video. She wanted to run for President ever since she was secretary, but it wasn’t until a year after her Legac-E term, Pia is elected President. The best part of Bayan-E year for her was working with her board. She feels blessed to have worked with people who are a joy to be around and who taught her how she can grow as a leader. Her E-Board nights were what she cherishes. Pia loves Barkada and the lessons she learned from her executive boards. As much as Pia loves Barkada, she loves her boyfriend, Tommy O’ Cooney, Bayan-E year’s Athletics Chair (and my kuya) just as much. In fact, Pia got close to Tommy with the help of her friend Marcel Morris. Pia met her friend Marcel at CPP’s freshmen orientation. At the beginning of the year she just hung out with her friend group: Marcel, Ismail Abbas, and Zach Villanueva. Tommy was just someone they talked about. When they were eating at Los Olivos Dining Commons one day, Tommy was there. She said to Tommy, “You have something on the back of your head.” Tommy went to check with his hand, but noticed nothing was there. Pia reached out and squeezed Tommy’s bicep because of the running inside joke that Tommy is the “swole-est” one of them all. They shared a good laugh and chemistry was being built up that day, but it doesn’t stop there. Pia, Tommy, Marcel, Ismail, and Zach formed a friend group known as The Citadel. Her second year she lived in the suites on campus and Tommy became roommates with The Citadel at the suites as well. They would always hang out at Sol that year and have random shenanigans like nerf gun wars. One day Pia thought to herself, “Tommy is a lot cuter than I remember…” Then they hit it off. Barkada became a place where they could hang and get close. Their first date was at Barkada’s Ice Skating Social and the rest was history. Pia gives a lot of credit to Marcel and Ismail as the reason why Tommy and her ended up together. Pia got close to so many people in college because of Barkada. One person she grew close to was her Ate, Karima Reyes. Pia’s favorite moment with her Ate Karima was anytime that she would get to spend with her! Pia appreciates all the late night car talks with her whenever they caught up. Their Barkada family became known as Laugh Line because of their distinct laugh. Karima became the sister Pia never had because she encouraged her to run for Secretary when she was doubting herself. Karima believed that Pia could do it and that support meant everything to her. Pia’s favorite food spot in college was Korean BBQ. She never had it until college. She loved the other spots like Jinza Teriyaki and Banana Bay too, of course, but Korean BBQ just hit different for her. Barkada was quite different back then. Pia loved Banana Bay but Barkada originaly went to a similar Thai restaurant known as Coconut Bay before it closed down. Back then, Barkada had general meetings in CPP’s bookstore room 202. Bayan-E year was a unique year because it was the last year before semester conversion. All that Barkada meetings then were at University Hour every week instead of night time every two weeks. Sportsfest also existed during her time. Sportsfest was a sports tournament that hosted students/people from all different organizations/places. They would compete in many sports like football, volleyball, basketball, bowling, and more. Vendors like White Rabbit, Jinza, and Contra Coffee & Tea made an appearance at the event too. Pia loves that so many upgrades have taken place at the Asian Pacific Islander Student Center. Back then, there were too many old coaches to count. The last difference Pia noticed was that Barkada had a parking lot known as C Lot on campus which is where the new CLA building is now. Barkada members parked here because it was the closest parking lot to Pilipino American Culture Night (PACN) practices. On top of PACN, Pia recommends that everyone participates in the show because it’s a production created by college students. There are many opportunities in PACN like dancing, acting, stage crew, and more. The time that members spend practicing nightly forms irreplaceable bonds. Each PACN is a unique experience in and of itself, and once it’s done-that’s it. Alongside PACN, Pia recommends that everyone go to Lumpia Night because it’s a night where the organizations of Barkada, Pilipino American Studies Kollective (PASK) and Chi Rho Omicron (XPO) collaborate and make Filipino food. Through these experiences in Barkada, Pia learned a lot about herself. Pia learned the power of community. She explains that as a freshman, figuring out college can be tough, but through Barkada she found a place where she could call home. The people in Barkada become your support system. Pia exclaims that if there wasn’t Barkada, she wouldn’t know how she would have made it through college. The experience she had and the community behind it make you grow as a person. It made her realize that you don’t have to deal with everything alone. In the future, Pia would love to see more alumni opportunities like networking events and reunions. She wanted to see more community engagement. Barkada isn’t just limited to the space in the APISC, there are other cultural clubs on campus. There are even non collegiate organizations and activist groups that people can join. Lastly, Pia would love to see a new and/or improved version of Sportsfest. One that is family friendly and beneficial for the community. In her time, Pia contributed so much to Barkada. Besides created Internship Board, she was a PACN dance coordinator for the Mindanao, Kordilyera suits, and the first ever Manila Swing coordinator for modern with her co-coordinator, Andrew Manila. She was head of costumes committee for three years and played the mom in Dream-E year’s PACN, “The Best of Us”. She was even a Social Justice Leader for the APISC and in Advisory Board several times. Pia never missed an opportunity to be active within the club. With all these involvements, it makes sense that Pia misses Barkada. She misses being able to spend time with her friends at the APISC and the spontaneous hangouts. She misses all the Barkada events and opportunities to learn about Filipino culture. Just being a part of the Barkada community daily and performing at PACN is something she will forever cherish. If Pia could say one thing for the members right now, Pia would say, “Take advantage of every moment before it becomes a memory. Although you might not be together physically, I believe the Barkada spirit can surpass a virus. All of us are in this together, and together we can accomplish anything”. Pia would like to give a big shoutout to Dream-E babies and board. She gives a shoutout to Fanc-E board for teaching her what it takes to be in an executive board. Shoutout to Legac-E Board for all the dabbing they did. Shoutout to all the babies of her boards. Shoutout to Mabuha-I Board for being the best interns she could ever ask for. Shoutout to Bayan-E Board, she loves all of them. Shoutout to Ate Kai and Kuya Anthony. Shoutout to her adings: Jonah, Shirin, Alex, Bee, Karl, Mulan, and the rest of Laugh Line. Shoutout to Original Design: Tommy, Warjay, Megan, Miriya, and Brandon. Shoutout to The Citadel for keeping her sane in college. And shoutout to everyone she met along the way, she appreciates you all!

Michael Belicano was Legac-E year’s (2015-2016) Barkada Entertainment Company Coordinator (BECC). He is a kind person and even a Lifetime Member for Barkada. He has a heart of gold. Michael Belicano was a computer information systems major who graduated in 2017. He is currently a Fire Controlman Aegis, Third Class Petty Officer for the United States Navy. He is stationed in San Diego and has moved there. He usually works on maintaining and operating the AN/SPY-1 radar onboard a Guided Missile Destroyer and travels around the Pacific Ocean His major doesn’t influence his current job, but he enjoys it nonetheless. In his free time he plays video games like Valorant, CS:GO, and TF2. Before joining the Navy, Michael was a part of Barkada. Michael joined Barkada Class-E year (2012-2013) because he was separated from his highschool friends. He was the only person in his friend group who was going to CPP. He didn’t know anyone else going to CPP. His brother recommended that he join Barkada. At first, he was intimidated and then he met Carl Gallardo who welcomed Michael in open arms. He then met Iggy Gutierrez who gave him a condom. He wasn’t sure if it was Carl or Iggy because they looked the same. However, he felt like he should give Barkada a try. Michael was shy growing up. He was anti-social in highschool but he soon was able to find his voice in Barkada. In fact, many people in Barkada would agree that Michael has a great voice. He was opening up more because of Barkada because Barkada accepted Michael for who he was. He enjoyed playing guitar at the Asian Pacific Islander Student Center, a hang out spot for Barkada. As the months progressed, he decided to perform for Barkada’s Got Talent (BGT) four times and was even a part of Barkada Band at that time which was known as Ctrl Shift N. He had the most fun during practices when he brainstormed with his friends and put ideas together for their performances. Getting along with everyone, building chemistry, and getting the song down were a couple of his favorite moments. He had to learn how to play the Bass for his performance for Barkada Band. To him the journey was what made it fun, the practices where he laughed with his fellow Barkada Band members meant everything. The performance was like a cherry on top. Michael brought entertainment to Barkada and he ended running for BECC Legac-E year. Michael ran for BECC because he wanted to continue the legacy that his predecessors Iggy Gutierrez, Cody Guerrero, and Bryan Naugit gave him. He wanted to continue BECC in a way that was similar to his predecessors’ caliber because he admired them. He was influenced by so many people and he wanted to give back his experiences to Barkada and continue the legacy. Some of Michael’s favorite moments with Legac-E Board was during Pilipino American Culture Night XXVI “What If.” With his partner Miriya Gutierrez, Legac-E year’s Culture Chair, they were able to create a legendary show for Barkada. He loved seeing the show come together and how well everybody performed. Seeing the members perform their heart out on stage and overcome challenges was a sight to see for Michael. This was a monumental PACN because it tackled topics like LGBTQ. His other favorite moments during Legac-E year were executive board retreats, Ski Trip, and BGT. He loved BGT because it was fun seeing people perform that year. In fact, there were many people who performed that year. Legac-E board even performed at BGT to Justin Bieber’s song “Sorry.” Michael believes all members should go to Friendship Games, it’s one of the first big events in Barkada. Members can meet new people and experience the camaraderie of the Friendship Games. It’s an event where the meaning “cool is stupid, stupid is cool” brings out the best in members. Friendship Games is an event where members can open up and just be ridiculous in any way. Seeing old friends from another college on the day of Friendship Games is nice to see too. Michael exclaims that the overall welcoming experience can make any member feel like they know everyone in Barkada afterwards. Michael’s favorite food back in his time in Barkada was Jinza Teriyaki, Cha For Tea, L&L, and Banana Bay, a popular Thai restaurant for Barkada. Michael enjoyed their continental fried rice and their drinks. He even had his 21st birthday party at Banana Bay. Michael had the time of his life in Barkada, but he also learned many things. He learned to go through with commitments. There are many commitments like school, executive board, friends, and even relationships. Making sure there’s a perfect balance is something Michael learned. Michael exclaimed that members shouldn’t fully prioritize fun but prioritize what benefits in the long run. Michael would love to see future members become board members and continue to create bonds even after college. Michael explained that it can get busy as an alumni with work. It’s harder to see people because friends are far away. However, through Barkada, future members can rely on those same people. Often we tend to think of the now, but after college people drift apart. Michael wants future members to hold on to those strong friendships that they can create in Barkada. Michael found his family in Barkada. He wasn’t around as much after his family started to get big but one day he decided to visit his ading Justin Duclayan’s BGT because he missed Barkada. Fun fact, Justin and Michael were both BECCs for Barkada. When he visited BGT, he didn’t know any of the newer family members but they were excited to meet Michael. Michael appreciated the welcoming atmosphere that his family brought that night. Michael felt at home when he was with them. As a Lifetime member, Michael impacted Barkada. As stated before, he was BECC Legac-E year. In addition, he was a dance coordinator for three years for the PACN dance suites of Rural, Traditionalist, and Kordilyera. His co-coordinators include Gilbert Rose, Jeanette Cañete, Ronnel Lising, and Janine Raymundo. He was in Barkada Band ever since Class-E year. He won first place twice at the tinikling tournament at FPAC with his team during Class-E year and Dream-E year (2013-2014). He did fourteen gigs with Dream-E year and was active for gigs during Legac-E year. He enjoyed performing for strangers. He was even in P-Notes, Barkada’s choir group for around six years. Michael just wanted to help out the best he could. With all these achievements, Michael misses Barkada dearly. He misses the camaraderie of Barkada. He has been going back to the Barkada discord to meet new members. Being in the military Michael feels alone. However, when Michael uses discord, he feels connected to Barkada again. If Michael could say one thing for the members right now, Michael said, “Don’t take Barkada for granted. One day you will drift apart. Help out wherever you can. Make good memories because the Barkada experience comes once.” Michael would love to give a shoutout to Ctrl Shift N which was Nathan Garcia, Brandon Busante, and Ronnel Lising. A shoutout to his Ate Kelsey Estrada, PR Class-E year. Michael thinks she is super nice. Michael wants to give a shoutout to Legac-E board, especially his partner for PACN Miriya. He wants to give a shoutout to his Legac-E President Warjay Naigan and Vice President Pia Radaza-Sumalinog. A shoutout to his co-coordinators Ronnel, Jeanette, Gilbert, and Janine. A shoutout to his day ones which are Carissa Cespedes, John De Guzman, and Brandon Evangelista, and Rochelle Lingat. A shoutout to Dream-E board for bringing him under their wing. Michael learned many things from Dream-E board. He wasn’t thinking about running for board back then but Dream-E was a big influence on him. Shoutout to his family Kevin Yang, Justin Duclayan, Mara, and Amber. A shoutout to Jeron Torres and Dakota Mendoza, his BOYS. A shoutout to everyone that he met in Barkada, they know who they are. Lastly, a shoutout to everyone who has made an impact to him as a person.

A past Sports Chair (’06-’07) for Barkada E-Board and a past Culture Chair (’07-’08) and current brother of the Filipino fraternity, Chi Rho Omicron (XPO), Greg has been sought out as one of the most inspiring leaders for many Barkada members. As Sports Chair, he brought Sportsfest to a whole other level with “Game On”; introducing bowling to the sports list and being a mentor for future Sports Chair leaders. With his talks to help you get pumped up during Sportsfest, Friendship Games, and PACN, and empowering speeches to get you motivated to learn about your culture or to make a difference within the club, it’s no wonder so many look up to him. With his involvement in XPO, his strong will and determination has made such an impact that influenced more Barkada members to join the brotherhood; starting the slowly, but surely, collaboration process and membership within PASK (CPP’s Pilipino American Studies Kollective) and Barkada. He has helped with the Advisory Board in planning events and was chosen as one of the retreat facilitators to help guide the ‘07-‘08 and ‘08-‘09 Barkada E-Boards. His continuous passion for the Pilipino culture and love for the club even after his time on board, and even after he graduated, has left a lasting impression on those that know him. This is why Greg was honored as Barkada’s Lifetime Member of 2009.

Mike Pedro epitomizes inspiration. As a student and an alumnus, his passion for Barkada and Filipino American culture was and is contagious. Starting out as a supporting actor in Average Joe (PACN 2005), he went on to be the lead actor in May Bukas Pa (PACN 2006) and an influential acting director in Brighter Days (PACN 2007), utilizing his experience with Asian Pacific Islander Theater Group (APITG). In 2005, he established and chartered the Agbayani Educational Committee which spurred annual trips to Delano to learn about the Filipino farm workers’ struggles. While working at Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) after graduating, Mike brought Veteranos to a cultural workshop to tell their stories of WWII and their current battle for full equity, not only educating attendees but inspiring them as well. As one of the original members of pNotes, he often offered his garage as a place to practice, taking up the role of director during 2007-2008. As Sportsfest Basketball Coordinator for two years, he led the daunting task of filtering through 30 teams’ scoresheets to set playoff brackets for 16 teams. Under his presidency, Barkada won its fourth SPUF trophy, starting Barkada’s second back-to-back championship. During 2006-2007, along with Erika Lim (USC) and Erik Esguerra (CSUF), Mike set the framework to resurrect the Southern California Pilipino American Student Alliance (SCPASA). As a role model for many, Mike has advised Barkada formally as a retreat facilitator and informally through the friendships he has established. Mike will always be known for his drive for excellence, his fun-loving nature, and his distinct laugh.

This fellow here showed what really means to be “Barkada” by inducing the pride into the members. Being part of Zeta Phi Rho from his freshman year, he finally set his place on Barkada during his fourth year in Cal Poly Pomona. As Culture Chair, during the 2004-2005 term, Eric was able to learn and outreach the Filipino culture to other organizations, and in-turn provide our club the sense of culture we needed. Of course there’s always that bump in the road, but Eric was determined that bump was going to be the hill that Barkada was going to conquer. That “hill” was the PACN production of “Average Joe,” that Eric was very proud to have made. A somewhat controversial PACN that dealt with the Muslim culture, Eric was able to collaborate with MSA (Muslim Student Association) to give him and the club a full understanding of the Muslim culture. During that time, he was a force to be reckoned with when it comes to “rallying the troops” together. And till this day he’s still a force. Every year he gets to be called in to provide inspiration for the members whether it’s for Friendship Games, PACN, etc. In the end, he is Barkada pride. We’re very proud of him to be apart of Barkada, and he loves Barkada so much that he’s got Barkada tattooed on him for life.

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Brian Carramanzana was the Barkada treasurer for two consecutive years from 2002-2004. During his tenure as treasurer, Brian revolutionized his position and invented new ways of organizing Barkada’s accounts. In addition to his treasuring duties, Brian also helped out during Sportsfest and now has a handy knowledge of what goes on during the months of planning.As a Barkada alum, Brian organized and chaired a committee who planned a bowling tournament called “Bowl 4 GK”. Through this new platform, Brian has elevated the name of Barkada as he continues to give his wisdom towards the development of the next wave of Barkada leaders. Brain was chosen as a Barkada Lifetime Member in 2006.

As a freshman, Cicero would help out with the Barkada Entertainment Company and would eventually work his way as the B.E.C. coordinator the following year. After Cicero’s first year on the Barkada Executive Board he decided to run for President and reluctantly ran again as the first person to have two consecutive terms as President in 2003. After Cicero’s second presidency in 2004 he was instrumental in founding Barkada Modern and pNotes, Barkada’s very own dance team and performing Choir. Cicero’s impact on Barkada today cannot be measured by a single year but rather a lifetime of memories and the friendships of those who continue to look up to him as their role model and seek him for advice. Cicero Delfin was chosen as an honorable Barkada Lifetime Member in 2006.

Albert Tampi, or “Bot” to Barkada, has showed the club what excellence is. He accomplished most of his accolades through humility and servitude, a great inspiration for others. He first started as a Sportsfest Volleyball Coordinator in 2000, but continued to 2003. In 2002, he joined the Executive Board as Historian. In the academic term after, Bot was elected as Academic Chair in the term 2003-2004. During his term, he also served as Pilipino Graduation Co-Coordinator, created the fist Barkada and PACN DVD and organized the first Kevin Ho Kuya/Ate Pool Tournament. When his term was over, he also served the club as an alumni. He organized pNotes, Barkada’s acapella ensemble during 2005-2007 with their famous song “May Bukas Pa.” Bot was also the inspiration for “Joe” in the 2005 PACN “Average Joe”. He received his well deserved Lifetime Member award in 2005 along side Andrew Obnial.

Andrew Obnial has had an extensive Barkada career. It first started with a 20 dollar fee and his love to be involved. He served in the Advisory Board from 2000-2001. In addition, he also served as a PACN co-coordinator. Oh, and by the way, those excel sheets that are used in Sportsfest to track the scores, yup 100% pure Obnial. In 2001-2002, Andrew wanted to be even more involved. He served as Culture Chair on the Executive Board. When he was on E-board, they took home the SPUF award. In the years of 2002-2003, Andrew served as Barkada Vice President. He was also the chiseled-chested Singkil prince. Andrew is a true inspiration, embodying what a lifetime member is. Even as alumni, he has served Barkada as both an advisor and friend. In the years following his college career, he served as a PACN director in 2004-2005 and was one of the founders of Barkada Modern. Andrew is truly, one of the greatest Barkada has ever had.

A member since his freshman year, Cesar was always very involved. As an executive board member he helped organize and improve Barkada including writing amendments to the club’s constitution to change the e-board to its form. As a proactive advisory board member Cesar helped Barkada evolve with changing times while bridging the gap between old and new members. Always willing to help when help was needed, the club and its e-boards could consistently rely on Cesar for advise and guidance in all aspects of the club. He has always had a passion for not just the club but the members and this was his claim to lifetime membership.

2004 Theodore Zulueta Magboo – by Archie Cerdenola Teddy was one of the most inviting members and also one of the most diligent executive board members of Barkada. During the years until he graduated he was an active advisory board member who was willing and able to offer his knowledge and past experience to members and e-boards. That includes his expertise in organizing and running football for Sportsfest and dances for PACN. Teddy’s devotion to and love of Barkada led him to continue assisting the e-boards that followed after he graduated in whatever way he could. It was his caring way of teaching and passing on of information that Teddy was chosen as a lifetime member.

This member was one of the many Barkada members that did his part for this organization. Already making his presence from the start, he was able to put Cal Poly Pomona Barkada on the internet with a website. From Historian to President, he showed us his leadership that he could run the club and then his final year at Cal Poly as Academic Chair to obtain his degree and to show that education is fun. Even after graduating, Marvin Tabangay has shown his utmost support and love for this organization that we enjoy. We thank you, from all Barkada members.

‘G’ Ramos is a pleasure to have around. Never an executive board member, G was always more than willing to take on duties any great e-board member would do. Well rounded in all aspects, G put in a lot of time, effort and care to ensure that great events like Sportsfest and PACN were both successful and fun. With his busy schedule, G will always find time to grace us with his presence at the organization’s many events to show his true love and pride for Barkada and his friends.

Under his guidance and care, Dom Ayonon really brought back the Pilipino culture to the organization. Not only an advocate for Barkada and Pilipino culture, Dom was also highly active with the Asian & Pacific Islander Student Center, and his legacy can often be seen in the center through articles about the API Theatre Group to the API Mural which he himself was involved with the creation of. Due to his immense spirit, pride and his leadership as president, Barkada was capable of many great things, including the achievement of Barkada’s first SPUF award from Friendship Games.

Iris was one of the most inspiring and well respected members and presidents of Barkada. She involved herself whereever and whenever she could and always put forth every effort to be successful. She has seen the club through the best and worst of times. Even after graduating, Iris has been a great role model for new executive board members. She has been able to guide the newest of leaders with a soft tone and her vast knowledge. Iris’ good will and caring support for a club she joined, lead, and believes in is how she was recognized as a lifetime member.

Jo Sunga was chosen as a lifetime member because of his dedication to Barkada and its members. Having experience in theater, Shakespeare competitions, and television commercials Jo contributed greatly to the success, participation, and attendance of Barkada’s annual PCN. Attending classes and acting in plays held by EWP, Jo shared his knowledge to bring the best out of every actor. Using improv exercises or method acting to portray characters allowed actors to interact with the audience in a very real way. Barkada wouldn’t have benefited without Jo inviting others to experience the joy of performance and the satisfaction gained by putting on a good show.

I met Rich during Summer Bridge 1996, as my student advisor. He would always go the extra mile to help me study during class or in the dorms. I’ll never forget how nice and humble he was (and still is!). Rich shed some of the doubts I had in joining Barkada. If it wasn’t for him steadily convincing me to go to the first meeting in the MPR, I would’ve had a dull college life. Above all, Rich Amparo is a good friend. He knows how to listen and console a bad day. Congratulations to you as the Barkada LifeTime Member! Thank you for your leadership, your close friendship and all the good times!

Kevinjohn “KJ” Tandoc’s humble contributions to Barkada has brought many “firsts”. He was instrumental in bringing Cal Poly its first credited Pilipino Cultural Dance Class. His presidential term yielded Barkada’s first executive offices on campus. His love and pride for the Barakada “family” inspired young leaders to follow suit resulting in the youngest ever executive board following his term. Even after his presidency, KJ remained heavily involved with Friendship Games, PCN, A-Board, and much more. It’s because of all this that the Executive Board of 1997-1998 deservedly bestowed the first ever “Barkada Life Time Membership” award.