On the evening of October 30, 2025, about 75 members of the Milton community gathered in the Farokzhad Mathematics Center to celebrate Filipino American History Month. Director of Equity and Inclusion Melissa Lawlor, English Teacher Kristine Palmero, International Student Services Program Manager Zuhra Abhar-Persson, Scarlett Cross ‘29, and Gabi Ramos ‘28 helped organize the event, which featured catered food, a slideshow, an informational video, and dancing.
The event kicked off with a historical presentation about the evolution of the Philippines from pre-colonization to the roles and contributions of Filipinos in America today. Cross, who helped create the slideshow, “really wanted to bring awareness of how [her] culture was once lost.” Attendees also got a mini lesson in the Filipino language: Palmero translated parts of the presentation to Tagalog and introduced a word of the day: kapwa. Lawlor explained that “the word ‘ka’ is in everything meaning friendship.” She added, “‘kapwa’ means community or a shared sense of belonging.”
After the presentation, Iskwelahang Pilipino, a Filipino cultural school stationed in Boston, performed three traditional dances from the Philippines, one of which was tinikling. Tinikling involves two long, thick bamboo posts and a drumming rhythm. Dancers must jump in-between and outside of the posts. The dance originated during the Spanish colonial era, likely inspired by the agility of the local tikling bird, which would skillfully dodge traps set by rice farmers. Milton students then attempted the dance themselves. Lawlor remarked that “being able to see my kids and Milton students try to do tinikling was pretty cool.” Later, attendees enjoyed Filipino food from Bright Lights, a local Filipino restaurant in Quincy. Among the items on the menu were adobo, lumpia, and pancit—all foods that Ramos said she grew up eating.
To the organizers, however, the dinner carried meaning beyond the food. Ramos shared that “coming from a school where I was the only Filipino girl…[I was] in awe that I was at a school that has a Filipino dinner.” She added that it “made [her] emotional and choked up a bit.” Ramos found it empowering to “feel more seen in the community,” an emotion that Lawlor seconded, saying “if I knew someone who was very proud of being Filipino in my life growing up… I’d be psyched about that.” Cross also expressed appreciation for the dinner, which she said not only brought back childhood memories but also helped “preserve the Filipino culture here at Milton.” She expressed that she felt “so grateful to have a community that’s so special.”
The event concluded with karaoke, a classic Filipino tradition that Ramos noted is a staple “at all [her] other Filipino events at home, at church.” Lawlor added that seeing students across divisions and grades partake in this tradition was “pretty cool.”
In the future, Lawlor and Ramos both hope to see the event grow in popularity. Although this year’s dinner filled two tables with students, Lawlor strives to one day “have all the tables filled with students.” Ramos shared that she also wants to see the Filipino community at Milton grow so that her peers can see how “many of their classmates have this amazing culture.”
Despite their desire for greater turnout, the three organizers agreed that they felt a strong sense of community. “The goal of the event [was] to create kapwa with the people at the event,” said Lawlor. That same spirit of connection extends beyond the single event, as Lawlor expressed that she aims “to cultivate kapwa in everything.” She encourages students to think about how they can help create “a warm and welcoming environment in which everyone feels like they can belong,” because “that piece of culture is central to who we are as Filipinos.”