Reynaldo Culannay

Reynaldo Culannay grew up in Richmond, California in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from Pitzer College with Bachelor’s degrees in Media Studies and Asian American Studies. With his passion for storytelling, Reynaldo utilizes his interests in media as a platform to discuss contemporary issues. He likes to focus on understanding the complexity between people and their surroundings and how it contributes to comprehending one’s own culture, history, and politics. Through mediums like photography, videography, and zines, Reynaldo hopes to share his projects with diverse audiences. Most importantly, he wants to work towards visualizing a holistic representation of hardships and issues that are interconnected among various communities.

Throughout his college career, Reynaldo became involved in Asian American and Pacific Islander activism with the intention of better understanding his Filipino American identity in relation to the community and spaces with which he is affiliated. After studying abroad in his homeland, the Philippines, Reynaldo witnessed sociopolitical issues the ranged from poverty to environmental concerns. This experience empowered him to continue his search to find ways to bridge issues and highlight their intersectionalities. Over time, Reynaldo’s work and life experiences led him to several key positions in his college career. He became a resource intern at the Asian American Resource Center in Pomona College where he provided resources for his community to learn and grow. He was a fellow for the Institute for Global-Local Action & Study at Pitzer College to address the lack of diversity and inclusion in higher education. Finally, he worked as an associate for various non-profit organizations in the Bay Area and Southern California like API Equality - Northern California and Visual Communications to give back to his communities that nurtured his growth.

When Reynaldo is not working, he loves adventuring with friends and socializing. Also, he enjoys making art whether that means taking photographs or constructing mini zines about self-care and self-love.