Meet Gave, One of The Pilipinx Academic Student Services’ Executive Directors
UC Berkeley has over 30 groups and organizations on campus that center on AA&PI identities. We spoke with Gavriel Curameng, one of the executive directors of the Pilipinx Academic Student Services (PASS) organization, about his experiences with PASS and how he ultimately came to write his honors thesis on the organization. Gave is a fourth-year (Class of 2025) majoring in media studies and Asian American and Asian diaspora studies and has been part of PASS since his freshman year. The organization helped Berkeley feel more tight-knit for Gave and has allowed him to connect with students who share his identity and passion for student support.
What has been your involvement with PASS over the last four years?
“My involvement with PASS and the Pilipino community at Berkeley has helped make such a large, public university feel small. It allowed me to feel seen in my own lived experience. I started out as an intern for PASS (which I talked about in a previous blog, Cal’s AA&PI Community) and now I am one of the executive directors. So many full-circle moments have happened during my time with PASS—I have helped programs I enjoyed when I first came to Berkeley. Each transition into a new position led me to gain a new frame in understanding how the organization works. I am really proud of my work in making more sustainable practices within the organization when it comes to work-life balance.”
Do you have a favorite event or program PASS has hosted for students?
“My favorite event has to be Senior Weekend! As a junior last year I had the opportunity to be the Senior Weekend co-chair for the bridges Multicultural Resource Center, which meant I spearheaded the program for nearly 400 students last year. This was a program that allowed me to explore UC Berkeley as an admitted student, and it was a real full-circle moment for me to support such an important program. Students come up to me and tell me how much they enjoyed Senior Weekend, which is really fun, and it reminds me how important this program is.”
How did you decide you wanted to focus your honors thesis on PASS and the work they do on campus?
“I took ASAMST 146: Asian Americans and Education taught by Dr. Tsuchitani. At the time, I was a media studies major and Asian American and Asian diaspora studies minor. I thought it would be interesting to take a class that was relevant to my work in PASS. The class instantly became my favorite class at Berkeley, and I remember all of the readings felt so interesting and I felt seen in them and the class. There were readings about organizations that I belonged to, and the work that I did! I was shocked to see there was already prior research on student-initiated outreach and retention programming. Taking the class led me to declare my second major in Asian American and Asian diaspora studies.”
“Our final project in the class was to do a research paper on any topic related to the course content, and I did my paper on PASS. My professor suggested I pursue the honors thesis, and I am so glad that I did.”
What advice would you give to students looking to write their own honors thesis?
“I took a bunch of classes that had open-ended papers and I found myself trying to write about similar topics each time. I realized that I could write an honors thesis about my specific interests. If you have a specific interest that you want to learn more about, and it’s something you could write about with ease, that’s a sign you should write your own honors thesis.” If you’re considering an honors thesis, reach out to your academic advisor or major department.
“My faculty advisor for my honors thesis told me that this is a great way to take ownership of your own education and wrap everything you learn in different classes into one final paper.”
If you’d like to discover more AA&PI organizations on campus, check out our blogs highlighting these student organizations, including Meet the Pilipino Association for Health Careers (PAHC) Org and Meet Nikkei Student Union.
Melissa Mora-Gonzalez, Class of 2025, is majoring in English and minoring in conservation and resource studies.
Want More?
- Not sure where to start with your club journey? Check out Students Clubs & Orgs: Where to Begin.
- Advice for navigating life, academics, and clubs at Cal.
- Learn more about another bridges organization, the Indigenous and Native Coalition (INC).