FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2018
Contact: Jason Tengco, NaFFAA Executive Director
jason.tengco@naffaa.org
Tel. 202-803-1353                                                                             

NaFFAA Introduces its Second Class of EPYC Ambassadors

Washington, DC – Today, NaFFAA is proud to announce its second class of nineteen ambassadors to the 2018-2019 Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration (EPYC) Program:

  1. Alyssa De Guzman | Philadelphia, PA
  2. Joan Cadete | Philadelphia, PA
  3. John Matthew Camara | Geneva, NY
  4. Austin Chavez | Richmond, VA
  5. Franz Sandil | Washington, DC
  6. Louis Medel | Washington, DC
  7. Ysabel Sprague | Charlottesville, VA
  8. Marissa Galang | Lexington, KY
  9. Charles Federico | Chicago, IL
  10. Sandy Amorado | St. Louis, MO
  11. Timothy Ramos | Champaign-Urbana, IL
  12. Keala Marie Marasigan | Seattle, WA
  13. Myron Joel Bañez | Seattle, WA
  14. Gabriel Cenizal | Concord, CA
  15. Jasmin Marie Morgia | Sacramento, CA
  16. Aubrey Mamaid | Los Angeles, CA
  17. Natalie Nuesca | Los Angeles, CA
  18. Natalie Bagaporo | San Diego, CA
  19. Caitlin Gatchalian | Las Vegas, NV

The EPYC Ambassadors Program aims to equip young leaders to refine their skills and learn new strategies in order to become stronger advocates and deliver more effective programs and services. Ambassadors will support NaFFAA’s efforts around leadership development, civic engagement, and advocacy, and will help scale and build programs within their campuses and communities.  Ambassadors will also gain important knowledge and skills around professional development, networking, Filipino American history, coalition building, and other key areas.

Each ambassador will reach out to fellow Filipino American youth through social media and also engage them in person by speaking at events, facilitating workshops, or tabling on campus or during community events. They will also lead a capstone project focused on either leadership development, civic engagement, or advocacy.

NaFFAA National Chairman Brendan Flores said, “NaFFAA congratulates its second class of EPYC Ambassadors: nineteen young individuals committed to engaging and empowering Filipino American youth throughout the country. After a successful year with our inaugural class, EPYC proudly serves as a platform for our young Filipino Americans to be the leaders of today. I look forward to seeing what this year’s EPYC Ambassadors will accomplish on behalf of NaFFAA and for the Filipino American community as a whole.”

Since 2017, the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation has generously supported NaFFAA’s EPYC Ambassadors Program with a $15,000 annual grant, helping to build the pipeline of Filipino American young leaders throughout the United States. The Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified non-profit organizations. The Foundation’s primary mission is to empower communities to thrive by providing access to technology, relevant digital skills and training, and inspiring volunteerism, service and leadership. The Foundation invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on the communities we serve. Since its inception, the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation has donated $220 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. Visit www.comcast.com/community for more information.

For more information about the EPYC Ambassadors Program, please visit naffaa.org/epyc.

NaFFAA EPYC Ambassadors Program 2018-2019 Class:

Alyssa De Guzman

City: Philadelphia, PA

NaFFAA Region: Northeast

College: Temple University

Class: 2020

Major: Speech Language Hearing Sciences

 

Joan Cadete

City: Philadelphia, PA

NaFFAA Region: Northeast

College: Temple University

Class: 2020

Major: Psychology

 

John Matthew Camara

City: Geneva, NY

NaFFAA Region: Northeast

College: Hobart College

Class: 2019

Major: Economics, International Relations

 

Austin Chavez

City: Richmond, VA

NaFFAA Region: Capital

College: Virginia Commonwealth University

Class: 2019

Major: Business Administration

 

Franz Sandil

City: Washington, DC

NaFFAA Region: Capital

College: Georgetown University

Class: 2019

Major: Health Care Management

 

Timothy Ramos

City: Champaign-Urbana, IL

NaFFAA Region: Midwest

College: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Class: 2021     Major: Chemical Engineering

 

Keala Marie Marasigan

City: Seattle, WA

NaFFAA Region: Pacific Northwest

College: Seattle University

Class: 2018

Major: Biology

 

Myron Joel Bañez

City: Seattle, WA

NaFFAA Region: Pacific Northwest

College: Seattle University

Class: 2021       Major: Public Affairs, International Economic  Development

 

Gabriel Cenizal

City: Davis, CA

NaFFAA Region: Northern California

College: University of California, Davis

Class: 2019

Major: Sociology, Organizational Studies

 

Jasmin Marie Morgia

City: Sacramento, CA

NaFFAA Region: Northern California

College: University of California, Santa Cruz

Class: 2017

Major: Environmental Studies

 

Louis Medel

City: Washington, DC

NaFFAA Region: Capital

College: Ithaca College

Class: 2017

Major: Integrated Marketing Communications

 

Aubrey Mamaid

City: Los Angeles, CA

NaFFAA Region: Greater Los Angeles College: University of California, Los Angeles

Class: 2021

Major: Dance, Asian American Studies

 

Natalie Nuesca

Ysabel Sprague

City: Charlottesville, VA

NaFFAA Region: Capital

College: University of Virginia

Class: 2021

Major: English

 

Marissa Galang

City: Lexington, KY

NaFFAA Region: Great Lakes

College: University of Kentucky

Class: 2019

Major: Biology

 

Charles Federico

City: Chicago, IL

NaFFAA Region: Midwest

College: University of Illinois, Chicago

Class: 2019

Major: Information Decision Sciences

 

Sandy Amorado

City: St. Louis, MO

NaFFAA Region: Midwest

City: Los Angeles, CA

NaFFAA Region: Greater Los Angeles

College: California State University, Fullerton

Class: 2018

Major: English, Communications-Journalism

 

Natalie Bagaporo

City: San Diego, CA

NaFFAA Region: San Diego/Imperial

College: University of California, Los Angeles

Class: 2018     Major: Human Biology, Society & Genetics and Asian American Studies

 

Caitlin Gatchalian

City: Las Vegas, NV

NaFFAA Region: Desert Mountain

College: University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Class: 2020

Major: Political Science

 

College: Saint Louis University

Class: 2020

Major: Leadership, Human Resources Management

 

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About NaFFAA

The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Established in 1997, NaFFAA has been the standard bearer for promoting the welfare and well-being of the 4 million Filipinos and Filipino Americans throughout the United States. NaFFAA’s vision is to serve as the voice of all Filipinos and Filipino Americans by uniting, engaging, and empowering diverse individuals and community organizations through leadership development, civic engagement, and national advocacy.

www.naffaa.org