Kevin

Building a Bigger Table: A Legacy Rooted in Community & Research with Kevin Laxamana

Kevin Laxamana's work is a powerful testament to how research, teaching, and community service can weave together to create a lasting legacy. From his anthropological studies in Southeast Asia to founding awards for Filipino-Canadian youth and his current work in neuro-inclusive education, Kevin's journey asks us: how do we build a table big enough for everyone? I sat down with him to explore the roots of his work and the future he's helping to build.

Kevin, when you think about the word community, what does it mean to you?

"For me, community heals and community feeds. As human beings, the world we live in is a bit individualistic now, but it's always important to be surrounded by people who have the same mindset and passion as you, or else it is lonely. Community feeds because they are the ones that will first show up for you, literally with food or with words of wisdom. Community heals because the work itself is healing; there are things you do at work that leave you feeling unfulfilled, but doing work in community, you see the ripple effect of your passion. It keeps you in check and in balance between ambition and what truly fulfills you."

Growing up Filipino-Canadian, how did your own cultural identity shape your perspective on belonging and community?

"Moving here at 17, I had my sense of identity ripped apart. You're forced to mature a bit early, navigating a new culture and new relationships. There's a strong sense of gratitude and maybe the Filipino concept of utang na loob (debt of gratitude). I started volunteering to understand my new environment and to meet people. That's where I found my first mentor and got my first taste of teaching. I saw that community service is a win-win; it gave me a sense of fulfillment and purpose that I was missing. It solidified my identity here. You don't necessarily need to be paid for the things you do; community pays you in contentment and the people you're surrounded with."

You've also studied transgender women's participation in sex work and beauty pageants in Southeast Asia. How did these cross-cultural insights influence your work in diversity, equity, and inclusion here in Canada?

"Being an anthropologist and doing fieldwork with marginalized populations in Asia gave me a more expansive, nuanced perspective. The gender I studied wasn't from a Western perspective. I learned that these concepts are geographically, historically, and politically dependent. That training in participant observation allows me to understand the barriers people face in a more nuanced way. Now, working with neurodivergent students, my concept of EDI is continually expanding and being challenged. It's not about just working harder; there are clear, lifelong barriers that we need to understand."

You've established the Kevin Chavez Laxamana Volunteer of the Year Award and the Lakbay Award. How did your research on cultural identity and social systems inspire the creation of these programs?

"It started as a way to give back to an organization that gave me so much. But then it became about my own journey and mentorship. I want to pave the way for folks that look like me, talk like me, and have the same skin colour as me to have the same opportunities. I want them to see that Kevin's reality could be their reality. Legacy is important to me—not that my name is on it forever, but that there's a continuity. It's about the next generation passing on responsible practices and pedagogy."

Bale Maragul, your "Big House" project, is deeply tied to Filipino-Canadian identity. How do you envision it serving as a living laboratory for cultural research, creativity, and community projects?

"I wanted a catch basin for everything I've done—research, teaching, community work. The Big House is a metaphor for that. A house that is well-kept and full of respect and love is a good house. I'm developing it as a conceptual framework with three pillars: space-making (creating the space), caretaking (maintaining it), and co-building (building it with people I trust). It's not just a structure; it's a relational infrastructure. It will be my creative house and a collaborative space for everyone I work with, a home for all my projects and the relationships behind them."

Beyond awards like Alberta's Top 30 Under 30, what moments of community impact—whether through research, teaching, or volunteering—have been the most meaningful to you?

"Teaching has been the most meaningful because I see the impact right away. If you are honest with the work you do and put in so much heart and passion, you will reap the fruits of your labour in ways you do not expect, at a time you least expect it. We all deserve our flowers. Sometimes they don't arrive early, and sometimes they arrive in other forms, but your time will come."

As you begin your Doctor of Education at the University of Calgary, how will your focus on leadership, policy, and governance in post-secondary contexts continue to build community and legacy?

"This is a personal reckoning and my comeback. I want to use it to solidify the Big House framework and make it pedagogically sound. My focus is on program design for neuro-inclusive higher education. We don't have much research and support for neurodivergent adult learners, and we are seeing more of them. My everyday work life is living proof of this need. I want to focus on neuro-inclusive program design and technology for autistic adult learners."

If we look 10, 20 years into the future, how do you hope your research and community initiatives will influence the next generation?

"I want to see the people I've mentored using the methods I've worked on, and I want them to be successful in their own fields. Maybe I'll have my own school—a pedagogically designed, research-backed playground to teach future educators. More than a legacy with my name on it, I want to be a medium and a conduit. I hope those little ripple effects become a big pond, and we see a real change in education. I want everyone I've influenced to be responsible educators and researchers."

Finally, what advice would you give to young people—especially those from equity-deserving communities—who want to combine research, teaching, and community work to make a lasting impact?

"Find a mentor, be brave, and take up that space. My journey was scaffolded by a lot of people. Having a champion, advocate, and mentor really matters. Be brave and take that step even when it's uncomfortable or you think you're not ready—there's never a perfect time. And you must take up that space, especially as a person of colour. Any table can have an extension to accommodate all voices. Believe in your self-worth and speak up when you have something to say."

On finding a mentor: "Think of your mentor as your therapist. Build that relationship and see if you're actually compatible; it should be a win-win. Just because someone has accolades doesn't mean they are the right mentor for what you need. You need to be intentional and find different mentors for different places in your life. It's an investment of energy and time for both people, so be picky and intentional."