Planning Committee

I am of Filipino descent and being on the Pamantasan committee allows me to give back to the community, but also help to understand and bridge the gap of Filipinos in higher education.

Allan Nebrija

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Amy Amper

I am the Workforce Development & Specialized Programs Counselor at Leeward Community College. I received my B.S. in Behavioral Science and my M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Chaminade University. As the founding president of BARKADA, the Filipino Student Club,finding a Filipino or Filipino-American club advisor was challenging; we did not see ourselves reflected in our professors. As someone who is proud of her mixed heritage and is not often recognized by others as being Fil-Am, I want to show that we as Filipinx people come in so many beautiful and varied representations and I want to help our students see themselves and their culture represented on their college campus.

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Melissa B. Arriba, is the Transcript Evaluator with the Admissions and Records Office at Leeward Community College. Melissa is of Filipino descent and was born and raised in Hawaii. Her interest in participating with the Pamantasan Planning Group is to create lifelong connections and “kasama,” a Tagalog word meaning, ‘together’ or ‘comrade’ with Filipino students, colleagues, and community in Hawaii.

Melissa Arriba

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Franalyn Barnett

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LeeAnne
Santos Egan

My name is LeeAnne Santos Egan. I am the Military & Veteran Counselor who manages the Veterans Resource Center at the Leeward CC, Pearl City campus. I am also an American-
Filipina Veteran employed at Leeward CC for about 8 years. I graduated from Leeward CC and transferred to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I graduated with a Bachelors and Masters degree in Public Administration. As an alumna in the UH System, I am happy to help navigate and guide students through our colleges.

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Daniel Cordial

I joined the Pamantasan committee this semester as I was interested in giving back to our campus and community. During my undergraduate studies at UH Manoa, I was “forced” to join the Filipino club as I was taking 2 years of Tagalog. This ended up being a great thing for me to be a part
of UH Manoa’s Filipino club as I had embraced my Filipino culture through language, food, song and dance. I wanted to give back my positive experiences of being a part of the Filipino club through being a part of the Pamantasan committee. To help our Filipino community in Hawaii move forward as a group and find success through education.

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Leon Florendo

Aloha my name is Leon Fuimaono Florendo, I am Filipino/Samoan born and raised in Wai’anae now live with my wife and three kids in Kaimuki. My father was a sakada from Vigan, Ilocos Sur and my mom was a picture bride from Fagasa, American Samoa. My involvement with Pamantasan began back when I was an undergraduate student at UH Manoa working at Operation Manong (OM) now the Office of Multicultural Student Services (OMSS). I started my college journey at Leeward Community College (LeeCC) and now many years later my journey has brought me back home. Today, I am the senior Counselor at LeeCC-Wai’anae Moku. However, prior to returning to Wai’anae Moku on Dec. 02, 2013, I was a counselor at Honolulu CC for 14 years.

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Randy Gomabon is an Academic Specialist and Information Computer Sciences Lecturer at the Wai`anae Moku

campus. Randy is of Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish heritage. My involvement with Pamantasan is on the web development end. I enjoy creating a space for the community to gather, share, and learn.

Randy Gomabon

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Tiffany Kasoga is a Secretary with the Language Arts Division at Leeward Community College. Tiffany has participated in various Pamantasan Conferences as a spectator and a presenter. She recognizes the importance of identity and community for our students as it has helped her throughout her educational journey.

Tiffany Kasoga

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Adam Kolokahiki Halemano, Jr. is the Institutional Assessment Specialist with the Office of Planning, Policy, and Assessment at Leeward Community College. Adam is of Filipino and Hawaiian descent with strong interest in the perpetuation of his ancestral lineage.

Adam Halemano

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I am a Disabilities Specialist at Leeward Community College. I provide classroom accommodations for students with disabilities. I am a Leeward Community College Alumn, and I received my B.A. in Psychology from the University of Hawaii at West Oahu, and my M.S. in Counseling Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu. I chose to get involved with Pamantasan as a way to contribute to the recognition of Filipinx achievements and accomplishments in higher education and to bring awareness to the Filipino culture.

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Wayland Quintero

Wayland Quintero is a lecturer with the Leeward Community College, Arts & Humanities Division and the UH-Hilo, Humanities Division. Born in the Northern Philippine highlands and raised on Oahu, he is a father, marriage partner, a researcher-scholar with longtime and diverse performing arts experience, and a world traveler. It has been a great joy to work with the members of the Pamantasan Virtual Conference 2020 organizing committee!