Vicool Patel’s Welcome Message 

Greetings KULARTS Pamilya —

My name is Vicool Vinodchandra Patel (they/them), child of Carmelita Abejo Cantos Patel & Vinodchandra Ambalal Patel. I’m honored to introduce myself as the new Board President for KULARTS.

As a queer, second generation Pilipino-Indian immigrant born and raised in the Chicagoland area, I spent the first 30+ years of my life striving to achieve an “American dream”: graduating with distinction at the University of Michigan, completing an MBA from Kellogg’s Northwestern University, and working for Fortune 500 companies across strategy & operations consulting, marketing, and HR— both in the US and abroad.

My last corporate role was based in Bangkok, Thailand as the Head of Diversity & Inclusion for a travel tech company owned by booking.com. In this position, I witnessed how dehumanizing capitalism can be as I worked countless hours to eliminate about 1500 positions during the COVID pandemic.

In mid-2022, I gathered all my strength and courage to quit this lifestyle. Needless to say, I was burnt out and utterly lost after untethering from an identity inherited from generational, ancestral sacrifice and oppression.

Enter KULARTS.

KULARTS came into my orbit as I embarked on a decolonizing journey to awaken my roots, which had been neglected for most of my life. Serendipitously, the timing aligned to join TribuTur— a field study that enables artists to discover and draw empowerment from indigenous Pilipino cultures. TribuTur was a life changing homecoming for me, in which I was able to honor the passing of my Nanay, while simultaneously grieving and celebrating my lost and found Pilipino identity. As I integrated from this experience, I felt a strong calling to get more involved. My hope is that more Pilipinos find pride and joy in discovering the richness of our culture.

Since joining the KULARTS Board in 2024 and participating in TribuTur again in 2025, I consider myself privileged to be part of the KULARTS community. One highlight has been able to represent KULARTS at the Philippine Book Festival at Mega Mall in Manila, speaking to hundreds of participants, including college students eager to connect and learn more about the diasporic experience.

Last year, we celebrated KULARTS’ 40th anniversary. And while there’s more excitement to come with a newly owned building space on the horizon, we also know that Arts & Culture / Diversity & Inclusion budgets are being decimated across the country. With everything going on in the world, it’s imperative to keep our bayanihan essence alive… to keep KULARTS’ Spirit thriving. As a Board, we plan to propel forward with a strong focus on operational excellence, maintaining a heart- and People-centered culture, and spearheading more fundraising initiatives. (Please donate if you can!)

Deep gratitude to Lydia Querian for passing the torch and, of course, to Manai and the rest of KULARTS Staff & Board for electing me to this role.

Lastly, thank you for reading this in its entirety! Please share your thoughts and feedback as KULARTS continues to grow and navigate here.

May we all be happy, be peaceful, and be liberated!

Mabuhay KULARTS!
Maraming salamat at ingat,
Vicool ॐ