BIGGIE: Matt Calapatia, 5th Year, Cell and Molecular Biology, Film Production Minor smalls #1: Aya Aragon, 4th Year, Bioengineering smalls #2: Eric Mach, 4th Year, Bioengineering/Engineering Management (BS/MS), Math Minor smalls #3: Adrian Pastolero, 4th Year, Biochemistry, Psychology Minor Family: Allegiance >Describe your relationship with your BIGGIE/smalls!< MC: I kinda half jokingly call them my sons, but they really do feel like family to me. We just kind of vibe, and ALWAYS have a good time whenever we’re around each other. Getting the three of us together, not busy, and at the same time is the only reason why we don’t hang out together more. My Smalls and I have basically grown through college together, and it’s wild to me how close we’ve all gotten. Adrian is ABSOLUTELY ELECTRIC and when we’re together we just have a lit time, bumping music or playing video games. Eric is the prodigal son. Man’s is always working so hard, and his drip is INSANE. (Peep his shoes) He’d beat me at smash 9/10 times, but when we’re together I feel like we never lose any time. Then there’s Aya. The OG. My first. Our relationship is just us being stupid-ever since we started playing pool to now, nothing has changed between us (except maybe her hair) and it’s something I appreciate. Overall, these three are my family. I think I would do near anything for them. AA: Matt is the older brother I never had. Honestly, I still haven't figured out if that's a good thing or a bad thing. EM: Matt is literally like a father, not just because he’s old, but he’s also one of the most kind, caring, and genuine people I know. When I would visit campus from home while on co-op he let me crash at his place countless times. When we go a while without hanging out, he’ll check up on me to make sure I’m doing alright. Whenever I need someone to talk to, eat with, or just chill with, I know he’s there for me. And I’m super grateful for all of that. At first glance, people wouldn’t assume we’re biggie/smalls, but we actually do share a lot of interests and despite our seemingly different personalities, I feel like we naturally vibe and connect. He’s always been a big support these past few years, and I’ll continue to be there for him too, even after we graduate. AP: Matt’s a class act, always willing to help someone out and keeps the energy hype at the function. Matt’s always looking out for me and is always someone I could count on since joining Barkada. It’ll be sad to see this old man graduate this semester, but I know the future is looking bright! From hot pot feasts to grinding cell and molecular biology homework, the memories throughout college have been irreplaceable. Thanks for everything bro! >What's something you've learned from your BIGGIE/smalls?< MC: From my three smalls, I’ve learned two things I’ll take with me for the rest of my life: uninhibited confidence and the importance of just... chilling out sometimes. I think it’s fair to say that I get a bit excited or energetic about things, but my Smalls have always been there to ground me in the now, whether it be in person (with literal body punches) or over messenger. When I’m around them, I almost feel my pressures just kind of disappear for a bit, and I can just smile and be myself for sometime. Then there’s the confidence. This is actually a super big thing that I feel like boils down to confidence. They’ve taught me that, with any aspect of my life, to just be confident. Whether it’s in school, with how I look, or just other things, they inspire me to be confident in it and that whatever I’m doing it’s my best effort. Especially coming from a place when I started in college with being a bit more introverted and less confident, this is something that truly has changed my outlook on life and everything! To me, they have this confidence to themselves that inspire me to just be a bit more like that in my own life. Then a lowkey third thing that they taught me is love. I know that’s hella cheesy and whatever but it’s true! Along with a specific few others that I’ve encountered in college, these guys showed me what it’s like to love your friends- and that isn’t something I really realized until I spent more than a few hangouts with them. Like I said before, I see them as actual family to me, and that means I also love them. They’ve definitely taught me more, but if I were to list all of them I think I could write a couple pages. AA: He's taught me that I shouldn't take myself too seriously and that everything's gonna work out in the end. I mean, he switched majors at least 14 times and still he's graduating on time! EM: I learned how important it is to be true to yourself. Like I said, Matt is a really genuine person and I’m convinced he can make friends with pretty much anybody since he’s so personable. Given that, I’ve been learning to be more natural and just keep a positive outlook on life in general like he does. AP: I’d say the most important thing Matt’s taught me throughout college is that life can get tough sometimes, but there’s always gonna be light at the end of tunnel. I’ve learned that there’s not enough time in the world to be stressing over the little things, so his happy and loud (maybe a little - too loud) attitude has influenced me to always have a positive outlook on life. >What's your favorite memory with your BIGGIE/smalls?< MC: I guess it’s too easy to say all of them? We’ve shared so many moments together it’s kind of crazy we’ve been through so much but also that makes it hard to pinpoint a specific favorite memory I’ve shared with all of them. So I’ll just choose a couple: the birth of allegiance, kamayan 2019 (ICONIC show), and the allegiance x rogue potlucks we used host at 748. But more than anything, when I think back on memories from my Smalls it’s those small hangouts we had with each other that had no real reason to them other than to vibe and just keep each other company. It’s those moments that I’ll remember long after I’m graduated, and I’ll also miss them so much. AA: I don't even know, we have so many memories together... hard to have a favorite memory when you're always together haha EM: My favorite memory as a group was when the four of us got together to eat and then decided to walk to North End to get cannolis and chill by the waterfront at Columbus Park. It was so spontaneous, and we all got to just walk and talk on a really nice day. Another one of my favorite memories was when me and Matt randomly decided to go watch an anime movie in theatres (shoutout Dragon Ball). Being able to fully nerd out with him is really refreshing since there aren’t too many people I know that I can do that with. AP: An absolute electric memory was Bahay Kubo, 2019. Matt convinced me to dance for Barkada for the first time in my sophomore spring semester and it was really nice to see everyone work hard and see the performance come to fruition. Bahay Matt was just built different though😭
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