#roadtopcn

Ben Trinh 4th Year Sociology Major Ricky Sabado

In this year’s PCN, I am not only the game show host for Ready, Set, Go!, I am thee man of the hour. I am the showstopper as well as the show itself, Ricky Sabado.

If you put aside Ricky Sabado’s cunning and insidious desire for fame and all the attention in the world, he is kind of like me. A charmingly loud and fearlessly enthusiastic character that thrives on fun and thrill.

This is my second time acting and I feel more than blessed to be given another opportunity to put on a show at PCN 2014.

The most challenging part of my role would be to imitate and embody someone who would lie and be deceitful for their own personal benefit and greed. However, in retrospect, it is refreshing to look back at who I am not, rather than who I am.

My favorite PCN memory is PCN 2013, which was centered on the I-Hotel. The impactful demonstration served as a reminder to our community for what our previous generation fought for to make today possible for us.

PCN is simply a gathering of our community to celebrate Pilipino heritage and enrich our diverse backgrounds under one umbrella of culture

Veronica Dela Fuente 3rd Year Civil Engineering Major / Religious Studies Minor Erica Pedronan

In this year's PCN, I will be playing the female lead, Erica Pedronan. She's a shy, 17-year-old girl trying to figure out who she is among the opinions of her mom, Adrian, and the standards of show business.

I've said this time and time again, but I feel like this role was made just for me! In high school, my insecurities focused mainly on my looks and there were definitely added pressures from those around me. I've been through the "lighter skin is better" talk, the "you need to lose weight" talk, and even the fear of having no one who accepts you. To be honest, I still struggle through these things and feel so privileged to be able to tell my personal story through Erica's. Hopefully many others can relate and find hope for the future!

This is my first time acting with lines... haha. Again, I don't feel like an actress or playing a character when I'm just being myself. Over the summer, I promised that I would go for it if Alyssa's script was chosen. Sure enough, it was and before I knew it, I was Erica! I'm beyond excited mostly because of the amazing cast I get to work with. They are all so talented and I feel like the show is going to be all kinds of entertaining. Yaaaay!

My main goal with Erica's character is honestly to let people know that they're not alone! At that time in my life, all I wanted was a friend that understood what I was going through. Right now, I have the opportunity to be that friend, to be someone's inspiration to stand up for themselves or even just believe that they really are beautiful! HEY YOU READING THIS, YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL! I hope people can see that this really comes from a genuine place of love for anyone and everyone.

PCN 2013 gave me the opportunity to sing my first solo on a stage with MK Choir and that was definitely a breakthrough moment for me. I overcame a lot in terms of past experiences, stage fright, trust in others, and myself. Special shout out to MK Choir for letting me express myself and hone my talents in such an amazing way. Love y'all!

What PCN means to me is providing everyone their own stage. Whether someone is acting for the first time, doing a traditional dance from an area they never heard of before, painting a backdrop for a scene, or simply standing in the back as an extra, PCN is a time for each person to truly shine. I find it extremely beautiful that it is a massive event that both caters to all different types of people while also allowing them to step outside of their comfort zone (if they want).

Almany Kabba 2nd Year Biochemistry Major Richie/JK Modern/90's Medley Co-Choreographer

In this year's PCN I will be playing a gameshow announcer named Richie. He is a very outspoken and very suave guy who loves what he does, which is pump up the crowd. I feel like this character is just like me because I love seeing people happy. I love it when people smile at me because it shows that something you did brought them happiness just for a moment in time.

This is not my first time acting but it's my first time acting in PCN and to tell you the truth I can not be more excited than I am now. I watched PCN last year and it captivated me and the passion on that stage was just something I craved to be apart of. Sometimes I feel like it's hard to convey myself to others because they think I am a scary person or just mean and don't give me a chance but I am really the opposite I'm very shy and I love making friends. This is something I am working on and hopefully Richie will give me some of his confidence and fire to change that.

My favorite PCN moment had to be when last year's PCN had the human barrier that scene was really amazing, I loved how they broke the fourth wall and the tension and intensity in that scene was just too good!

PCN to me stands for People Caring Now because we are taking a stand to show very important issues and telling people not to reify these problems but to actually think about them and to show that we have the power to change them. The topics we are portraying in this PCN are things people go through everyday. People wake up and feel bad because they are not up to the standard of "beauty" the media has set and it's ridiculous and I am so glad PCN every year touches topics others are scared to touch.

Sandra Gutierrez 3rd Year English Major Aimee Santillan

I play Aimee Santillan, the makeup artist on Ready, Set, Go!, who is also very close to the main female character, Erica and acts as her support throughout the play. I joke about it often, but I really don’t feel much difference between what Aimee represents and who I am! I honestly don't feel like I’m acting when I read her interactions with Erica or other characters. When people describe me, they say I’m supportive and compassionate and strong – and I am. But I’m especially like this because I lacked support in my own struggles growing up and I understand that even a “How was your day?” can make a hell of a difference in a person’s day. It was especially difficult for me to read certain parts of the script because I have heard those words said to myself and I went through the pills and the creams and the self-hatred and that was the most miserable moment in my life and there are permanent side effects that I still have to live with every day. I will fight ruthlessly to prevent anyone from going through that if I can. Saying Aimee’s lines out loud was kind of like a weird closure as if I was reassuring my past self, and that's where my honesty comes from when Aimee talks to Erica.

This is my first time acting on stage. I have performed in front of an audience before as a participant in Asian Voices: My Own Story the first summer session of 2013 and I am a very active member in MK Vintage Dance Troupe so I dance on stage a lot. Acting is a whole lot different though! I’m not hiding behind a wig and facepaint like in cosplay or whatever so it’s my face and the character’s name attached to it. Even my Asian Voices performance was done in cosplay because I wasn’t comfortable performing as myself! So this is a whole new terrifying adventure for me and I think I’m up for it.

Is there any time you felt like it would be difficult to convey the message you wanted to? Like all the time!!! A lot of people can’t tell, but I actually have social anxiety disorder. Pretty much it is a phobia of how people may perceive me and I have a hard time being around crowds or being the focus of attention. This makes it really hard for me to even imagine standing on stage!!! ono The reason why I’m revealing this fact to everyone who reads this is because I want people to get the facts straight so there are no more additional assumptions for me to fear. Yes, I stutter and have problems speaking in front of people. I have lots of obstacles to even catch up to other people. My greatest obstacle in acting is going to be myself. But that’s okay. It doesn't define me and I can do this!!! I just gotta do it in my own way.

My favorite PCN memory would have to be… MK Bash 2012 when I got the PCN award for being one of the most active freshmen! “This is For My Mom”…it was funny to me because I’m half Filipina and I get it from my mom, so I literally did do it for her. But also it defined how much I enjoyed being involved in PCN. PCN to me means…new chances to learn. You learn so much during PCN! How a stage show works, making friends, time management (ahahahah…), dances, how to take chances by auditioning for things, teamwork, I mean the list goes on and on! I have learned so much and I keep coming back for more.

Your PCN Coordinators would like to thank you for your interest in applying to become our first PCNterns for our 27th Annual Pilipino Culture Night! We are very excited to get to know you and work with you soon! APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 14, 2014

Spread the word everyone! Reblog and get your friends to apply to this wonderful opportunity to serve your community! PCNternship starts on Spring Quarter.