Tell us about yourself!

Since I was born, I have lived in Union, New Jersey. I was raised by two Filipino emigrants, as their first child born in America. Being that my parents were freshly from the Philippines, I have been immersed in Filipino culture and the community that was brought along with it.

But having parents who emigrated from a foreign Asian country presented struggles and barriers along the way. Filipino ideals and expectations often contrasted to the ideals of people who’s families have been established in America for multiple generations. I confided in others who had a similar background with immigrant parents in effort to not be alone in this newfound journey. But with my transition to a private high school, which had a minute Asian population, I found less people to relate to my experiences and my sense of Filipino identity began to dissipate. This drastic shift left me isolated, so I decided that there was no better way to regain this lost identity by revisiting the Philippines and taking up the opportunity to volunteer at the Home of Hope Institution to truly connect through our multifaceted culture.

This trip to the Philippines completely gave me a new outlook on my culture and an immense amount of pride. I saw how despite being on complete opposite sides of the world, culture has it’s way to connect others through shared experiences brought by our heritage and traditions.

Why does Filipino/Asian mental health matter to you?

Filipino/Asian mental health is extremely important to me because within the Asian community, mental health is often overlooked. As resillience is a staple trait of overall Asian culture, whether spanning from academics or in overall times of struggle, there’s a push to ignore any feelings of unease that are aroused from these situations. It’s often frowned upon to blame one’s setbacks on their poor mental state within our culture. Being told “it’s all in your head” or “you’re overreacting” are just some of the phrases that I’ve grown far too familiar with, leading to me bottling up emotions that should be talked about.

For these reasons, I’ve been putting my best efforts in breaking this stigma constructed within our culture, and communicating that mental health isn’t something that should be ignored. Generations before us didn’t have the privilege of gaining knowledge of the importance of mental health, so I’ve made it my mission to inform those unaware to the benefits of nurturing one’s mental well-being. Maintaining our well-being factors in your success within your relationships with others, sports, academics and general quality of life.

Tell us about your experience as a Youth Mental Health Ambassador!

My journey started as a Youth Mental Health Ambassador with Thriving Asians as a junior in high school. I was first introduced to Thriving Asians by my friend, Julian Brown, who previously facilitated a workshop for the organization in the Philippines. When I mentioned my involvement as the vice president of my school’s mental health club, he thought it would be best to connect me to the organization and introduce me to the founder Michelle Garcia. Joining Thriving Asians as a Youth Mental Health Ambassador was a seamless process as the mission that it sets forward is one that I thoroughly align with.

From then on, we organized to co-facilitate two workshops together at the Luisa Medel National High School located in the Phillippines. We had a smaller refresher workshop for returning student leaders, who had previously attended a workshop the year before, which truly helped me become acclimated to the new environment that I step foot on. Then we had a larger workshop with a plethora of different students and I saw despite the large geographical difference between us, our culture of being Filipinos trumped all other factors. It was a truly memorable experience of connection that would have not been possible without Thriving Asians.

What were some of your favorite memories or impactful moments?

My favorite memory from these experiences was seeing everyone open up and realize that we all face mental hardships within our lives. More importantly, I loved seeing everyone build a foundation of support and open-mindedness when hearing about each other’s experiences. Once they realized that, I also enjoyed connecting over simple things like snacking together and listening to music before we started the workshop.

How did the Youth Mental Health Ambassador role support you?

It was an ever expansive learning experience - that one doesn’t just reach fulfillment, it requires intention and effort.

Any shout outs to Asian/Filipino orgs, businesses, etc.?

I would like to shout out Home of Hope in Handumannan, a local Filipino coffee shop named Ayala Coffee in my hometown, and my family’s business Nurturing Angels