CISVA Alumni Spotlight with Bea Correa
Introduction
Thank you for participating in the CISVA Alumni Spotlight! Please answer the following questions in your own words. Your responses will help us share your inspiring story with our audience.
1. Your CISVA Experience and Values
Can you tell us a bit about your time at CISVA schools?
I was a CISVA student from Kindergarten to Grade 12, attending elementary school at Immaculate Conception Delta and completing my secondary education at Holy Cross Regional High School in Surrey. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience; I enjoyed having the opportunity to practice my faith in an educational space, and as a result, I have become comfortable expressing my beliefs in a secular setting like the post-secondary school that I now attend.
How did your experiences there shape your values and aspirations?
One of the many positive things I took away from being a student at an independent school was the importance of community. Through daily prayers, monthly school Mass, and school-specific projects such as Prayer Partners or a Campus Ministry Leadership Team, I understood that human beings are inherently social and were designed by God to work with one another to achieve a common good. I highly value community, and I aspire for all of my work to foster opportunities for people to contribute their talents and feel like they belong.
2. Founding Himig Kabataan Cultural Society
What inspired you to start the Himig Kabataan Cultural Society?
Himig Kabataan Cultural Society (HKCS) began as a request by one of my high school teachers for my concert choir to perform at a local Filipino cultural event in 2022. What started as a group of eight Filipino high school students and two songs flourished into a long-term passion project after I noticed that we, like many Filipino-Canadian youth, knew little to nothing about Filipino culture and language. HKCS began its journey once I aspired to achieve fluency in my family’s native tongue, Tagalog, through singing songs written or arranged by Filipino artists. After three years, we’ve shifted our focus to not only becoming fluent in Filipino languages, but also to gaining an understanding of Filipino culture and sharing it with others.
What makes this choir unique compared to other youth organizations?
HKCS is a Surrey-based collective of Filipino-Canadian teens and young adults who strive to showcase Filipino culture to their fellow youth. The choir is the first and only of its kind in Western Canada and possibly North America. What sets HKCS apart from other youth organizations is the focus on education in culture. I aspire for our members to learn everything there is about the Philippines, from music and language to history and cultural values. HKCS aims to do this in unique ways, such as informational concerts or interactive social media posts. It matters to us that learning about Filipino culture is simple and accessible.
3. Building the Choir: Challenges and Growth
The choir has grown significantly since its beginnings in 2022. What challenges did you face while building Himig Kabataan, especially as a youth leader?
The biggest challenge I face while building HKCS is balancing it with other parts of my life. I have commitments to school, Church ministries, side projects, and personal relationships that push me to make priorities in order to prevent myself from neglecting certain aspects of my life. In the past year, HKCS has experienced a sudden increase in recognition, so creating plans to promote the group and communicate with potential supporters (many of whom found us organically rather than through connections) is also a large responsibility that I had to take up on top of the current administrative work that I do. On the bright side, however, I have learned to delegate and have developed a team who graciously share these responsibilities. Yes, being a youth leader is difficult, but having others at your side really lightens the load.
4. Achievements and Recognition
You have achieved so much, including hosting concerts and being recognized as one of Surrey’s Top 25 Under 25. How does it feel to be acknowledged for your work at such a young age?
Seeing how much has been achieved in the past three years, it is truly riveting to think how far HKCS has come from being an eight-person group at a local cultural event. For someone who has done volunteer work for most of her high school life, it simply feels like just another project that took off to new heights—and for that, I feel truly grateful for the people who make this work bigger and bigger, whether they are a member, volunteer, parent, or someone in the community who watches and acknowledges our efforts.
5. Faith and Leadership
How has your Catholic upbringing influenced your leadership style and your vision for Himig Kabataan?
The traditions that my family and I practice are a reflection of the beauty and uniqueness of Filipino Catholicism. For most of my life, I had assumed that traditions like Noche Buena (midnight Christmas celebration) or Visita Iglesia (“Church Visit” on Good Friday) were standard in the Church, but after learning about how Filipinos received Catholicism from the Spanish and made it their own, my excitement for these practices only grew stronger. I understand that the history of Catholicism in the Philippines is long and nuanced, but the positive traditions that I can take away from it are a tool to uplift the beauty of Filipino culture, in singing at events like Simbang Gabi (“Midnight Mass”) or celebrations dedicated to the Santo Niño (the Holy Child Jesus). Aside from my own Catholic upbringing, the origins of HKCS are rooted in the Catholic faith, provided that the group began as a group of students from Holy Cross Regional High School. Integrating my faith into my vision for HKCS is evident in our outreach—our members’ involvement in liturgical choirs, and planning fundraising concerts to benefit parish communities. My Catholic education made me more aware that the mission of HKCS is to uplift the culture and traditions that we were blessed with. I intend to continue acknowledging Catholicism in HKCS, as it is an important part of Filipino culture.
6. Looking Ahead: Hopes for the Future
What are your hopes for Himig Kabataan in the coming years?
I hope that HKCS has more opportunities to share our talents on a national and global level. Filipino culture is gaining attention, so every opportunity to educate the public on it holds so much power. In three years, HKCS has had the privilege of showcasing Filipino music at many cultural events in Metro Vancouver as well as Edmonton, and I am thrilled to announce that HKCS will be representing Canada and the Philippines next year at the 2026 World Peace Choral Festival in Vienna, Austria—it is events like these that fulfill this kind of hope, and I only dream of more and bigger opportunities for us in the coming years.
How do you see the choir continuing to impact young people in Western Canada?
In light of the recent Lapu-Lapu Day Festival tragedy that happened on April 26, there has been a noticeable rise in activity among Filipino-Canadians in Metro Vancouver, especially the youth. Millennial and Gen-Z children of Filipino immigrant families are speaking up about their love for their culture and are creating events to encourage “Pinoy Pride” in a time when the Filipino community is grieving together. I’d like to believe that HKCS has a part in this positive movement—music is medicine, and in this chapter of Filipino-Canadian history, I hope that the work of HKCS encourages all young people to appreciate the beauty of their own cultures and set up similar projects to preserve and pass down meaningful traditions.
7. Advice for CISVA Students
What advice would you give to current CISVA students who dream of making an impact like you?
There will always be people ready to help you achieve your goals. The first step in making an impact is understanding what you can do best. Know that it will not be everything—that is when you reach out to other people and allow them to do what they can do best. It may be daunting or embarrassing, but asking for help is how you build community and greater support for your project. The success of HKCS is built on the contributions of its members, their parents, and the Filipino community of Metro Vancouver and beyond. Again, human beings were not designed to work alone!