Mr. Joseph A. Villarama, the Fulbright Filipino FLTA, served as one of the conference resource people and workshop facilitators at the Asian-American High School Conference (AsAm HSC), a free, one-day event held at Angell Hall on November 13, 2021. The conference theme was “AsAm Now in Color!” With the aim of helping Asian American High School students explore their identity, gain insights into college life, and meet fellow members of the AsAm community, Mr. Villarama delivered a presentation titled “Colors on the Wheel: Asian Americans on the Spot; Celebrating & Embracing the Authentic Beauty in Asian-American Communities.” The talk, which focused on the underpinning complexities inherent in knowing the lives of Asian-Americans, engaged with stories from a multitude of dimensions such as social, historical, personal, biracial/multiracial, and political. Mr. Villarama’s presentation and workshop highlighted the diversity of Asian American experiences, working against the stereotyped and distorted depictions of Asian Americans in movies, advertisements, social media, and literature. In his own words, “After all, every color tells a unique story, just as each given nationality shows significant differences in terms of regional dialect, religious belief, class background, educational attainment, and political perspective, as well as distinctions based on generation, gender, expressions and preferences, and lifestyle orientation.”
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