Our Mission

The mission of the Filipino Cultural Association is to promote awareness and education of Filipino-American culture for the University of Maryland community. We unite our members through cooperative involvement in cultural, academic, political, athletic, and social programs and activities. Through our shared experiences, we preserve, encourage, and inspire the celebration of our culture.

Our History

The Filipino Cultural Association (FCA) is a student organization at the University of Maryland, College Park designed to increase awareness of Filipino culture as well as strengthen the unity among its members through cultural, academic, athletic, and social programs. Under the leadership of Lito Sison in the 1978-1979 academic year, several Filipino students sought to unite their fellow Filipinos at the University of Maryland. Originally called “Samahang Filipino”, the organization adopted the name “Filipino Cultural Association” in 1981. It then reached its arms out to welcome friends of other nationalities interested in discovering the beauty and excitement of Filipino culture and history.

Kumusta! Welcome to official website of the Filipino Cultural Association at the University of Maryland, College Park! I am honored to be serving as the FCA President for the 2020-2021 academic year!

Our mission as a club organization is to raise awareness and inspire the celebration of Filipino and Filipino-American cultures on campus. As you navigate through the website, you can see the many ways we have been committed to this mission and how it has united many students of different interests and identities in creating this close-knit community built on the values of friendship, cooperation, and passion for the cultures. This can be seen in our General Body Meetings (GBMs) we hold every other Thursday, in the service projects and fundraisers we have held in support of our fellow kababayan here and abroad, in our chats on Discord, and even in the establishment of the UMCP’s Filipino American Studies Program in 2007.

As a junior at UMCP, I recognize the difficulty of trying to connect and build relationships with others while on the virtual space, especially as the pandemic continues and our political climate remains very unstable. While our platform for this year has certainly changed, I hope that you will consider FCA not only as a place to learn more about what it means to be Filipino-American but also as a place that can help you succeed in your goals and give you opportunities to serve others. I hope you will consider FCA as a family you can rely on for guidance, certainty and hope, just as I do.

Please check out our social media links for how to get more involved and I hope to meet you soon!

Want to know more about what’s going on with FCA? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the schedule of the week’s events!