About
About SHADOW Weekend:
The Pilipinx Academic Student Services (PASS) is excited to announce the return of an in-person SHADOW Weekend, a 3 day, 2 night program where Filipino high school and community college students coming from low-income and first generation college backgrounds can come to UC Berkeley to learn about what it means to be Filipino in higher education.
What can I expect at SHADOW Weekend?
SHADOW Weekend is a FREE program showcasing higher education, not just attending a four-year institution like UC Berkeley, but all the possible journeys one may take when on the pursuit of higher education. Maybe you are not sure what exactly is a major, or the difference between CSUs or UCs. That's ok! This program will help you understand what's available to you, but how to get there.
At SHADOW Weekend, you’ll be toured around UC Berkeley by other Filipino students. You’ll get to meet and listen to the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at UC Berkeley discuss the application process for Berkeley. You’ll get to hear about the numerous pathways of higher education, and how to receive financial aid to cover the cost of attendance. You’ll hear from other Filipino students about their higher education journey, and where they are now.
In addition, you'll receive an individual mentor for SHADOW Weekend where you'll have the chance to learn more about higher education at the four year level. Our mentor program during SHADOW Weekend allows you to experience a personalized SHADOW Weekend, paired based on similar interests and personalities.
Who can apply to attend SHADOW Weekend?
PASS is looking for Filipino students in high school (grades 10-12) and community college coming from low-income backgrounds and would/are the first in their family to pursue higher education in the United States. While all students who identify as Filipino are welcome to apply, we will prioritize those coming from low-income backgrounds and would/are the first in their family to pursue higher education in the United States. Click here for application details.
How do I get to SHADOW Weekend?
We do not want transportation issues to stop you from coming/leaving SHADOW Weekend. While attendees may be dropped off/picked up from SHADOW Weekend, we also pay for transportation to get you to UC Berkeley. The following options are available:
BAY AREA: Chaperoned BART trip from the following station to Downtown Berkeley (and vice versa leaving):
Pittsburg/Bay Point Station
Union City Station
Richmond Station
Daly City Station
Central Valley: Chaperoned Amtrack trips from the following station to Richmond BART to Downtown Berkeley (and vice versa leaving):
Stockton Station, 735 South San Joaquin Street Stockton, CA
Sacramento Station, 401 I Street Sacramento, CA
These plans are tentative and are subject to change.
What housing accommodations are in place?
We will cover housing during your stay at UC Berkeley. SHADOW Weekend housing will comprise of peer-housing from UC Berkeley students. PASS values and emphasizes safety and security for all programming. All volunteers, housers, and mentors will go through a Minors Code of Conduct Training, as well as a training with UC Berkeley's PATH to Care Center. Every houser will be vetted for proper accommodation offerings.
Sample Agenda
The given sample agenda is tentative. An agenda will be finalized the day of SHADOW Weekend. High school and community college students will have a separate SHADOW Weekend programming as noted above to take account for differences in higher education paths.
About SHADOW:
SHADOW under PASS stands for Students Helping Advance Determination via On-campus Work. This forms the basis of the work the SHADOW Coordinator in PASS does. PASS 38's SHADOW Coordinator, Gave, hosts in the fall semester SHADOW Weekend, an overnight program to expose Filipino students to higher education. During the spring, the coordinator hosts SHADOW Tours, where he invites schools to come to Berkeley to tour.
Gave is a second year intending a study in Media Studies with a minor in Data Science. An active member of the Pilipinx community at Berkeley, you can find him at PCN or helping volunteer at events.
About PASS:
Pilipinx Academic Student Services is an entirely student-run organization formed in 1985 to address the educational concerns of Pilipinx students in pursuit of higher education. PASS attempts to remedy the lack of representation among the University's student population with respect to the growing Pilipinx population of California. The organization focuses primarily on increasing the educational opportunities available to these students through the implementation of various informational resources, support, and referral services. We provide programs targeted specifically toward the recruitment of high school and community college students, as well as programs for the retention of the University's registered students. PASS endeavors to maintain its commitment to the surrounding communities and to the University through efforts to preserve educational interest.