Pinoy Society

By ALEX LIM, JANIBEK SUBKHANBERDIN, and ANDREW YANG

Every Thursday from 6:15 to 7:00 p.m., Pinoy Society meets to bond as a community through fun events. Most recently, the group went to Dean of Multicultural Affairs Sherry Hernandez’s house for a group dinner and enjoyed dishes like adobo, lumpia, and halo-halo. For many, Pinoy Society is a tight-knit community of around 15 members to share individual experiences and support each other.

Pinoy Society members noted some memories that they tie to their favorite aspects of the club. For many, the recent club dinner held at Hernandez’s house exemplified the sense of community and bonding that defines the club. Senior and co-head Ada Milhauser reflected on the importance of that event: “We cooked Filipino food and ate together. It was so nice to bond over such an important aspect of our culture, and it really helped us to connect more with our shared identity, especially at the beginning of the term.”

Senior and co-head Ben Soriano echoed that sentiment, saying the dinner “really cemented the relationships and community that we commit to building.”

Upper Arabella Mariano highlighted another important aspect of that night: its authenticity. “The food was really good—that made it really special just because it’s been a while since I’ve had home cooked traditional Filipino meals,” she said.

Upper and co-head Joseph Vicente noted, “It was really great. The food was amazing, and I even tried some new things I hadn’t had before. It was just a great turnout and it was a really fun event for everyone there.”

Another memory that surfaced for Pinoy Society members was the Balikbayan global initiative trip hosted by the club. Vicente mentioned, “We went to various cultural sites that held significance in Filipino history in California. And we went from San Francisco all the way down to Los Angeles. It was a really fun trip and a lot of members of Pinoy Society came. A lot of great memories were made on that trip.”

“This created a key sense of understanding and bonding between members and the identity or interest we all share,” said Soriano.

Hernandez shed light onto the trip’s inception and what it meant for the club’s community. “In the past, I would see the Pinoy co-heads during CVP Balikbayan and also for our meetings,” she said. “When our CVP was approved as a Global Initiatives trip, that was a super proud moment for the club. Most recently, I am so proud of the current co-heads and how they attended the Global Initiatives trip to CA and have later turned their experience into visiting the Philippines and/or writing their 333’s on Filipino history.”

Another fond memory shared by Hernandez was the club’s trip to Enna Chocolate, where they sampled chocolate made from Filipino cocoa beans.

Beyond the previously mentioned events unique to Pinoy Society, members shared a couple of other ideas of what makes the club special to them, and that should entice more people to join. “I think what makes it special is that it also includes people who are not just in the Philippines but people who are interested in the culture,” said prep Raph Sycip. He also listed that wider sense of community as a reason for people to join the club. “I think people should join Pinoy society because it’s a great way to meet great people. And also it’s fun if you want to just relax and talk.”

Vicente echoed and built on that point. “The community is very tight knit. There’s not too many people, so everyone knows each other by name and there’s always a personal aspect to every meeting,” he said. “We’ll always ask, ‘How’s your day going?’ or ‘What’s the highlight or lowlight of your week?’ And then we’ll also ask some fun questions. We recently asked ‘Who is your celebrity crush’ as an introductory question. It was really funny. It’s a great community and everyone really cares about each other.”

“Pinoys love getting together and bringing people in,” added Hernandez. “We believe in kapwa and bayanihan which at its core believes that we are a community and whenever there is an issue or a problem, we lift each other up together.”  

Mariano and Soriano also attested to the close-knit feeling of Pinoy Society. Amerson Liang noted his love for Filipino culture as a core aspect of why he attends the club:  “People should join because Filipino culture is really awesome and we have a lot of interesting history and good food.”

The incentive of food was brought up by practically every member interviewed.

For every cultural club, the responsibility of being a leader comes from a place of true passion for your community. Along with organizing the club, there is also a big emotional aspect involved, and it was very clear that all the coheads shared a lot of appreciation for one another.

Reflecting on her position as faculty advisor, Hernandez said, “I listen intently and serve as a sounding board about their thoughts on their multiple identities and their senses of belonging both at Exeter and beyond. It is a privilege and a gift to be a mirror for this important period of self-reflection and growth.”

“As coheads, we are in charge of planning each meeting, organizing club dinners and presentations, as well as communicating with faculty and the members of the club,” stated Soriano, “However, I think that the most exciting and rewarding part of being a leader of this club is talking to the community and fostering a tight sense of familiarity on campus. For me, Pinoy Society’s strength is in the welcoming and light-hearted environment we make as a club.”

Vincente concurred, remarking, “Honestly, I think the beauty of Pinoy Society is that everyone’s willing to try something new.” 

“Although our community is small and tight-knit, it has connected me with people from all avenues of Exeter!” said senior and co-head Paloma Sze. 

“There are a lot of laughs that we have together,” said Hernandez on the warm energy of Pinoy Society. “From karaoke to dance videos to writing proposals, to the mundane like having halo-halo together to meeting incredible Filipino authors, we, as a group, have been blessed with incredible support and opportunities to delve deeper into our shared identities and celebrate our culture!”

“Pinoy is a great cultural club/space for people to just chill and talk for about an hour each week amongst our busy schedule,” agreed Milhauser, “We’re so chill! Come for 15 minutes or 50! Stop by to try some Filipino snacks! Plus, you don’t have to be Filipino to join.”

Pinoy Society’s faculty advisor and co-heads work hard to organize events from group trips to group dinners. Together, the members and co-heads have transformed the club into a warm space for sharing experiences and bonding as a community.

Photo Courtesy of Sherry Hernàndez