Krystle Fernandez Honors Her Family's AAPI Heritage
Each May, the United States celebrates and recognizes the cultural and historical contributions made by those of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) descent. AAPI is the umbrella term that includes the 24 million Americans from the 40+ countries in Asia and over 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Krystle Fernandez, Baptist Health Care executive director of strategy, planning, and performance shares her experiences and insights into AAPI culture:
"My cultural identity as an AAPI, and more specifically Filipino-American, is not marked by momentous milestones. It’s a cultural foundation established by my parents as I grew up that I now seek to share with my children and others whenever possible.
My parents immigrated to America in the 1970s after my father joined the U.S. Navy. After multiple duty stations, my parents settled in Pensacola where my father retired. My parents joined the Fil-Am (Filipino-American) Association of Pensacola, a non-profit organization committed to sharing and teaching the Filipino culture, and found a sense of community with others who shared a similar background. Growing up in this community helped me stay rooted in the culture of my parents and ancestors. I remember many weekends learning and performing cultural dances like tinikling, the national dance, and pandangoo sa ilaw, the candle dance. Every summer, we joined other Filipino-American communities and competed in the Fil-Am Sports Festival. In 1999, my mother was named Mrs. Philippines of Northwest Florida at their annual fundraising pageant. Communities and associations like these are vital in sharing and teaching cultural traditions to future generations.
(Photo: Krystle Fernandez, pictured third from left is with her father, mother and brother after mom is crowned Mrs. Philippines of Northwest Florida.)
Like many Filipinos, my husband, Chris, and I grew up in the Catholic faith. When we were married in 2017, we chose to honor our heritage by including many Filipino traditions during the nuptial mass. Some of these traditions included the unity veil, yugal (cord) and aras (coins). The unity veil is a cloth that is draped across the shoulders of the couple symbolizing their unity to face the world together as one. The cord, a silk rope or rosary tied in a figure eight, is placed over the unity veil and symbolizes eternal love and fidelity. The aras is a small pouch containing 13 coins that are blessed and passed between the couple. The coins symbolize the commitment to the welfare of each other and their future family. We enjoyed the opportunity to share these traditions with many non-Filipino attendees.
(Photo: Nuptial mass traditions include the unity veil and chord used at Krystle's wedding in 2017.)
September 23, 2023 was a day I’ll never forget. After months of planning, I helped lead Baptist Hospital’s move from the legacy campus to the new campus. A momentous day in the history of Baptist but it was also the day my mom slipped and fell at home. The fall resulted in multiple fractures along her spine. She presented in the emergency room at Baptist Hospital that same day and was subsequently admitted. She had two surgeries during her 5-day inpatient stay. During that time, she had two different nurses. Both were attentive, caring and communicated well with her in English. However, one nurse was Filipino-American and spoke tagalog, the national dialect of the Philippines. The nurse’s ability to speak to my mom in her native tongue and connect with her on a cultural level made a significant difference in her care.
(Photo: Krystle is pictured with her daughter, Eva as they visit Lola (tagalog for “Grandma”) at Baptist Hospital.)
One of my favorite ways to share culture is through food. I love learning how to cook traditional Filipino foods and other AAPI foods to share with others. My friends regularly incorporate cultural dishes at gatherings. Each year, our group of friends have an annual boodle fight, a table lined with banana leaves featuring a roast pig and filled with various fruits, meats, rice and vegetables. These gatherings typically include the other hallmarks of a Filipino good time: mah jong, karaoke and lots of laughter.
Each month, our department has an office lunch and I often share my favorite Filipino or AAPI foods. This month, my office celebrated AAPI Heritage Month with lunch from Pounders Hawaiian Grill. I’m thankful for the opportunity to share the taste of different cultures and grateful for teammates that are willing to try food outside of their comfort zone.
I’m thankful for the gift of culture that my parents gave me. Now, as a mother, I hope to lay that same foundation of heritage and pride for my family. Thank you for allowing me to share some of my AAPI experiences. While May marks a national celebration, I encourage you to learn and celebrate the many AAPI cultures all year long."
Thank you, Krystle, for sharing your passion and culture with us. Having team members like you make our Baptist culture unique and special. See more of our incredible team members and join Baptist.
Author Bio:
Krystle Fernandez, a Pensacola native, currently serves as executive director of strategy, planning and performance at Baptist Health Care where she has worked for over 20 years. Krystle began her career at Baptist in registration where she found a passion in the business aspect of healthcare. As a leader in strategy, Krystle utilizes her passion for data analytics and storytelling to construct the vision of a better organization and community and partners with organizational and community leaders to achieve it. The most rewarding experience of her career so far was to serve as a project manager in Baptist Hospital’s new hospital activation and patient move that took place on September 23, 2023.
