PH Consulate General in LA Meets with Filipino Cultural School President

Vice Consul Dyan Kristine Miranda-Pastrana with Ms. Cindy Szendzial of the Filipino Cultural School.

LOS ANGELES 28 March 2019 – Filipino Cultural School (FCS) President Cindy Szendzial met with the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles’ Cultural Diplomacy Section, led by Vice Consul Dyan Kristine Miranda-Pastrana and Cultural Officer Maria Dolores C. Sales, on 11 March 2019.

Ms. Szendzial reached out to the Consulate General to request for assistance with resources and other reference materials, which will be used in planning the FCS curriculum. 

Vice Consul Pastrana commended the FCS for its commitment and passion in promoting Philippine culture among the youth of Filipino descent in order for them to hold their own amidst the multicultural and ethnically diverse society of Southern California.

The Vice Consul further assured Ms. Szendzial that the Consulate General will assist the FCS in its mission and will refer her concern to the Cultural Center of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the Department of Education.

FCS is a summer program geared towards the preservation and promotion of Philippine heritage and culture. While the FCS was only incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2016, the program has been around in some form for more than 50 years, originating with the Sampaguita Women’s Circle, Inc. of Los Angeles.

The organization was formed by Filipino immigrant teachers whose mission was to create a venue, which will serve as a springboard for the Filipino youth’s search of identity in the United States.

FCS has grown to serve hundreds of youths and their families through its summer programs that offered classes in Filipino language, history, culture, music, dance and arts.

There have been numerous FCS sites throughout the years, including Los Angeles, Wilmington, Carson, Cerritos, Long Beach and Anaheim. The Cerritos FCS lasted for many decades until 2011. Then in 2012, a lack of leadership led FCS into a hiatus.

The program was revived in 2013 when UCLA graduate Paolo Roca, and former FCS students Czarina De Jesus and Rhea Umalin worked to revive the program. In 2015, FCS celebrated its 50th anniversary. END

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