Background/purpose: Incorporating students' native cultural knowledge into language instruction can enhance learning and support cultural sustainability. The study aims to explore the perspectives of junior high school students with different personality backgrounds on the benefits of a culturally responsive, student-centered approach that integrates "Kalesang" values through the FRESH technique into descriptive writing. This approach can enrich students' language skills while sustaining their cultural identity. Materials/methods: This study employed thematic analysis as a qualitative research approach to examine the data. The data was collected through the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) and a semi-structured interview. Results: Thematic analysis revealed three primary themes: (1) Students' understanding and integration of "Kalesang" values, (2) Perceptions of the FRESH framework, and (3) The influence of personality on learning. Participants defined "Kalesang" as a principle of caring for oneself and the environment and embedded this value in their writing. All students reported that the FRESH technique helped them organize their texts and increased their motivation. Extrovert students enjoyed collaborative discussions, whereas introvert students preferred individual, scaffolded writing time. Conclusion: The results indicate three significant implications: (1) Aligning writing tasks with local cultural values fosters cultural sustainability by reinforcing students' heritage and community ethos. (2) Implementing structured frameworks such as the FRESH technique and incorporating culturally relevant themes enriches EFL writing pedagogy by clarifying text organization and engaging learners. (3) Differentiating instruction to accommodate students' personalities ensures that both introverted and extroverted students can succeed.