AAPI HERITAGE
How much do you know about sago’t? If you are not Filipino, you may have never heard of the drink before Cura Day, when the Filipino club worked with other AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) clubs to celebrate their collective cultural identity.
Cura Day is a Loyola tradition that takes place once a month during lunch, celebrating a specific student demographic. It often features merchandise, outdoor activities and food stands. The event embodies many Jesuit values, including global education, self-reflection and community building.
This October, Cura Day was centered around AAPI heritage. The event is crucial in recognizing and empowering Loyola’s Asian student population, which makes up almost 15% of the school, with many more students identifying as mixed Asian.
At lunch, food sales included noodles, lumpia, mochi, mung bean cakes and sago’t. Cubs played Gong-gi, a Korean playground game based on dexterity, and Sungka, a Filipino shell game similar to Arabic Mankala. They also hosted a Mid-Autumn Festival scavenger hunt.
Due to ongoing rain, the event was moved to Caruso Hall, making it even more memorable. Many clubs are involved in this AAPI Cura Day, such as Club Japan, Chinese Club, KASA (Korean American Student Association), Filipino Club and the Asian American Multiracial Association.
Aiden Willette ’28, the president of the Chinese Club, stated, “The Chinese Club focused on setting up the lantern-making station and designing the AAPI ‘swag.’ The shirt we designed features traditional Chinese cultural practices, like the dragon dance.”
The Filipino club organized the parol-making activity (Filipino star-shaped lantern), supplied traditional foods and played sungka. Ryan Damasco ’26, president of the association, expressed, “My favorite moment this Cura Day was handing out lumpia to students and feeling proud of my culture as they savored our food.”
AAPI Cura Day demonstrates how important Cura Day is to understand and celebrate the unique cultures that make up the Loyola community. In this way, students can not only embrace their own identity but also foster a newfound understanding of their fellow Cub brothers. Cura Day is more than just a motto, it’s a testament to Loyola’s ideals.
CUBS IN PINK
Loyola experienced a stylistic anomaly this October. Deviating from the usual blue and white polos, students sported pink Breast Cancer Awareness shirts. Every year during Breast Cancer Awareness Week, Loyola unites to support those affected by the illness through fundraising efforts, shared prayer and school-wide solidarity. Throughout the week, proceeds from activities and events were donated directly to cancer research, helping fund life-saving treatments and offering hope to families fighting the disease.
“The event has become a tradition at Loyola when Cubs eagerly buy up Breast Cancer Awareness shirts and take the opportunity to wear them as frequently as possible,” Agustya Karadkar ’27 observed.
Breast cancer is a major issue in the United States and around the world, with it accounting for an average of 30% of all female cancers each year. The illness’s prevalence is more than just a statistic, as many Loyola students have seen the direct consequences of breast cancer in their own communities. Fortunately, the breast cancer survival rate over five years has increased dramatically as new treatment and screening measures have been developed. Funding research and creating awareness are pertinent in mitigating the disease’s deadliness.
“Loyola can become a beacon of advocacy for breast cancer. Even passive advocacy like wearing a pink shirt is necessary to create awareness especially since women’s health has been historically overlooked,” Tomas Gonzalez ’26 affirmed.
Breast Cancer Awareness Week exemplifies Loyola’s fundamental commitment to solidarity within its community. Having campus-wide events that raise awareness for societal issues creates a significant effect on how students engage with those issues. When students step up to show that awareness leads to action, compassion becomes a hallmark of the Loyola brotherhood.
