Students gathered in SU-109 on March 11 to sing, socialize and celebrate during the APIDA Karaoke event held from 1 to 3 p.m.

The event brought students together for an afternoon of karaoke performances, food and community building. Participants took turns stepping up to the microphone while friends cheered them on during the event.

Patrick Garcia, one of the karaoke moderators, said organizing the event involved coordination but in the end came together successfully. Garcia was pleased with the turnout, surprised by the number of students who not only came to the event, but participated in the fun by singing. 

“It was really easy. We just had to find the right people,” Garcia said. “There were lots of ups and downs, but eventually we were able to agree upon a day to set up everything.”

Garcia said that while members of the KAPWA Club, a Filipino cultural student organization at Los Medanos College, helped support the event, the event itself was funded through APIDA resources.

This is the first semester the APIDA program is being offered at LMC. 

“I want to make it clear that KAPWA is not hosting the event,” Garcia said. “We’re just helping support the event. This is an APIDA event, so we are using APIDA money to fund the food and pretty much everything.”

APIDA stands for Asian, Pacific islander, Desi American, a learning community at Los Medanos College designed to support students through counseling, workshops, field trips and other campus resources and the funding helped provide food, microphones and other equipment for the event.

Raven Figueroa, who performed “At The Door,” by The Strokes, said the experience was a little awkward at first but still enjoyable.

“I definitely haven’t sung that song in a long time, so it was a little awkward reading the lyrics,” Figueroa said. “But other than that it was fine. I’d probably do it again.”

Figueroa said he heard about the event through a friend and appreciated having the opportunity to participate.

“I think if it was a regular thing it would be pretty enjoyable,” Figueroa said.

Another student performer, David Duldulao, sang “All of Me,” by John Legend and said performing in front of others was both nerve racking and fun.

“I was a little nervous, but I was having a lot of fun doing karaoke with my friends,” Duldulao said.

He said events like karaoke are a good way to bring students together in a relaxed setting.

“Honestly, just have fun,” Duldulao said. “There’s no real judgment.”

Jim Christian Rimando said the enthusiasm of the crowd stood out when he arrived.

“I noticed the enthusiasm of the people that attended the event and the food, of course,” Rimando said. “You can’t go wrong with food.”

Rimando said he appreciated how smoothly the event ran compared to other karaoke events he’s attended.

“My most favorite part was that the sequence of events actually went smoothly without a lot of interruptions,” Rimando said.

Having performed multiple times before, he felt comfortable singing during the event, Rimando said. But I appreciated the smaller crowd.

“It was a unique experience because it wasn’t like hundreds of people coming in and out,” RImando said. “It was about 20 or 25 people inside, which made it feel more personal.”

Students interested in joining the APIDA learning community can apply through the Los Medanos College website. The KAPWA Club also meets weekly on Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the Student Union building.