MAFA BOARD REFLECTIONS: ALLAN

First and foremost, if you’re reading this post… then you are one of the reasons why… I love MAFA. As I reflect upon the past year, I want you to remember that elections are coming up for MAFA and YOU SHOULD RUN!

*Disclaimer: My MAFA board reflections will be me ranting about 3 different topics that I found to be the most impactful things about this past year.

So unlike many of my peers who wrote their reflection, mine will be more general aspects of this past year. For the first topic, we will briefly discuss events:

MAFA events, whether they’re larger or smaller can make a HUGE impact on your life. During this past year, I was able to collaborate with some of the brightest individuals that I have ever met. If it weren’t for MAFA, I would not have been able to grow as much as I have as an individual. Not only my leadership traits and characteristics have evolved during this past year, but also my person, social and organizational awareness. During this past year, being able to make relationships with leaders, general members and even alumni of MAFA, I was able to learn so much.

Something that people really love to hold on to when thinking about whether or not they run for board is… “but MAFA is so time consuming, I don’t think I can make it out to all of those events”. The thing is, you’re probably right, you probably will not be able to make it out to every event. What you’re not realizing is, YOU DON’T HAVE TO! The beauty of the Midwest Association of Filipino Americans is that social media is LIFE! By this, I mean that keeping in contact with members from other schools is EZ PZ! Not only that, but you can live through others if you miss an event!

The next topic that I would like to briefly discuss genuine relationships:

This past year was definitely a tough one for me. To be completely honest with everyone, I had taken up way too much on my plate and thought I could handle it. I was pushed to my limits on a day to day basis, not only physically but also mentally. You might be thinking to yourself, what does this have to do with genuine relationships? You see, during this past year, I don’t think that I would have been able to do the things that I did without the relationships that I have made through this organization. The thing is, when you are going through a tough time… you do not always need someone that will constantly give you the whole “you can do this, you’re strong, blah blah blah” speech. Sometimes, what you need is someone that will tell you that you are messing up and that you need to ask for help. The point being, when you make GENUINE relationships, your friends WILL and SHOULD do that for you. I’m not here to tell you what to do though, just giving you my insight on things.

Topic number three, the one that you have all been waiting for, MAFA Board:

As you might know, I was the last person to get elected onto this past year’s MAFA Board. I could not be happier with the relationships and the growth that I have made over the past year. They have taught me more about discipline than I have ever learned before. Not only are these individuals all gifted and excel in every way possible, but they try and pass their knowledge onto other people every chance that they get. They have been some of the best teachers that I have had in my entire life. Tin, you were there for me not only for my personal life but also for the professional side of things also. You showed so much care and compassion throughout this past year it’s incredible. You were honestly such a great leader, you showed me that my way was not always correct and showed me the humbleness that I needed. I am so proud of everything you have accomplished since I met you last year. Princess Trini, I am so glad to have gotten closer to you this past year. You are one of the most driven individuals I’ve ever met. Whenever MAFA board was feeling down you were there to pick us right back up. I, along with the rest of MAFA Board, am very thankful for having had experienced this past year with you. Hopefully your future endeavors are as successful as they should be. Kenny, my man, you have accomplished so many things since I met you your freshman year. Thank you for all of the lessons that you taught me, even if you didn’t know that you were. While juggling all of the things that you had on your plate this year you never forgot how to have fun. Every time we were together we had a blast. From witnessing a car crash while playing Pokemon Go in Chicago to chanting that stupid chant that we always do, thank you man. Julia, what can I say? You literally helped me so much this past year. Honestly, I could not have gone through this past year without you. Your bubbly spirit mixed with your drive to excel was inspiring to say the least. Not only did you help me cheer up when I was down, but you also helped me realize when I actually NEEDED to worry. Your drive to succeed was a constant reminder that I could always be better at what I do, so thank you! Kayla, my dear dear Kayl. I honestly do not know how we got so close over the past year. We met the same time that Tin and I met and barely talked until my PCN. I honestly wish that I would have gotten to know you earlier, you are literally the girl version of me in so many different ways. Thank you for always cheering me up even if you didn’t know that I was down. Thank you for showing me that I can be myself no matter what the situation is. You have a personality that is unmatched and I adore it. You are always able to see the light in all of the darkness. So thank you for not only being the coolest but also being the… uncoolest. Kathleen, you are literally one of the most talented people that I know in every aspect of the word. The fact that you do everything that you do appalls me. I cannot even begin to fathom how incredible your work ethic is. From dancing & knowing every single piece of Philippine history to [NOT] singing in the shower, I can honestly say that I am absolutely jealous. Although I constantly hate on you when we’re together, you are a constant reminder to me that I must always strive for the best. Madelaine, thank you for everything that you’ve done for me in the past year. You are there for me when I am feeling down and need to vent and you are also there to tell me that I need to do better. You have helped me grow so much as an individual in every aspect you can think of. Thank you for that. Nina. Bunso. You were literally my rock on board. You helped me get through every crappy situation that I encountered and also helped me embrace every good situation that I was a part of. Like everyone else on board, you helped me realize so much about myself. I honestly cannot put it into words. You are one of the best people that I have encountered and I am forever grateful to have you in my life. Thank you all for everything, and for everyone else reading – I hope you get close to people as great as this past year’s MAFA board is to me.

INTERESTED? Applications for the 2017-2018 MAFA Executive Board are now open. You are all encouraged to apply and take the opportunity to make a difference in the MAFA sphere! Eligibility requirements, instructions, and the election processes are detailed in the following application packets linked below. Please download application packets as word documents.

If you have any questions regarding MAFA Elections, please contact the members of Executive Board or email us at wearemafa@gmail.com.

All application packets are due by April 29th, 2017 at 11:59PM CST.

Click link below to view applications and possibly apply https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1Bkdy2BI-c3RFN6MlhLaHk2Tjg