PEP's 5 -year reunion
it's been 5 year's since PEP was created. i can't believe it. PEP is the program where perci and i met. and then we were friends. and then we started dating. and then bam! along came the PEP love child. haha.
PEP is pin@y educational partnerships, and perci and i were on the OG team that helped create and establish a filipina/o american experiences class at balboa high school (which was perci's alma mater too). i remember when i first moved up here, i was at the gym and ran into allyson. she asked me if i needed a job, and i said, sure! and thus began the chain of events that no one would have predicted.
our first meeting. notice perci's afro and my orange hair.
the OG pep crew at balboa
the OG crew nowas allyson explained during the anniversary party, PEP has grown in so many ways. there have been 4 babies, and 1 on the way (timyas, mahalaya, isagani, miles and micah). a whole lot of PEP couples (allyson & val, claudine & art, perci & i, arlene & rod, jeff & michelle, alan & princess, tracy & fred and alan & elaine). one of my students from our first class is now a PEP teacher (angelica). the emcee crews praxis roks collective and rhapsodistas were created out of PEP. PEP has outgrown balboa and now has programs at burton hs, denman ms and longfellow elementary. PEP has also turned out over 50 teachers, and 300 students. it's unbelievable what's been accomplished in five years.
a fraction of PEP nowPEP has truly been a significant part of our lives. not only has it brought me a partner and a son, but it's connected me with some incredible friends who i still turn to for both personal and professional support. it has largely shaped my approach toward working with youth, and i use the philosophies we adapted in teaching as the foundation for my work today. since my time in PEP, i have yet to experience anything close to that level of support and collectivity in a work/community setting, and i miss it. we hope this year to be able to dedicate more time to PEP and giving where we can.
praxis roks performing at the anniversary party
2 comments:
Ok, first I would like to say that I didn't even know you had a blog!! Dumb me. Second, I love what you're doing with PEP and all, but I'm going to comment on your's and Perci's hair in that picture!! Now if you can fall in love through the afro and the orange hair, then you really must love each other. Oh my God, I'm laughing outloud by myself just thinking of your hair!!! No, but really. You guys and your work are pretty inspirational.
yo! why you gotta put that old picture on blast?! hahaha..i look like a fool! hahah thats so funny tho. those were fun days..but hey--that is so dope how PEP has grown. Plantin seeds..now we got our seeds...and who is the baby on the way?! :) i love hearing news about new babies!
Post a Comment