Two years ago, Kamren Fabiculanan had a revelation.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!It was 2022, the first season Fabiculanan had been a significant contributor since joining the Huskies before the 2019 season. He made 38 tackles, deflected three passes and had a fumble recovery as Washington finished the campaign by beating Texas 27-20 in the Alamo Bowl under coach Kalen DeBoer.
Fabiculanan also realized there weren’t many players who looked like him.
“It hit me then, I was like, ‘Oh I’m really doing this.’” he said. “I want to break that stereotype for the Filipino kids that grow up playing just basketball or soccer and all of that.”
Fabiculanan, Washington’s sixth-year safety and team captain, is one of a few college football players with Filipino heritage. His father, Alex Fabiculanan, was born in Manila, while his mother, Kathy Fabiculanan, originally hails from Paoay, around 290 miles north of the capital on the country’s largest island, Luzon.
Alex and Kathy, both the children of Navy servicemen, are naturalized American citizens and have lived in the United States for most of their lives. They were raised in Southern California, and settled down in Ventura County. Yet Kamren and his siblings’ growing interest in their Filipino heritage, Alex said, has been exciting for the entire family.
“With Kamren’s exposure in the sport, and a lot of people identifying him as Filipino,” Alex said, “he’s really looking to be a part of that and understand his culture more
