Between balikbayan and pasalubong, and never a solo meal, Filipino culture, to me, has always been about sharing our joy and success with others. Our community is strong, and no matter how hard conditions may get, there is still enough love to always get us through. This has made me a very determined person, and one who cares very much about collective success. I am now studying Ethnic Studies and Political Science with a Pre-Law emphasis - because one of the greatest obstacles to collective success is systemic denial of rights. Marginalized communities have been denied so much, and I hope to fight to make our world a more equitable place so that everyone can share in celebration without the weight of oppression hanging over them. My Filipino family has very much shaped my ideals. Every single recipe I have ever learned from my Lola yields enough servings to feed an army - because we never just cook for ourselves, we cook for all the neighbors and Titas and TItos coming to visit (Titas and Titos sometimes including random people she met at the supermarket earlier that day). When you travel, you think of your loved ones, and what little treats they might want. When you live far away, you construct care packages to send back home. We are a people of love and selflessness, and I hope that I reflect that in my life's mission - to give back to a world that has given me so much. Additionally, I care about civil rights because I know our histories. Filipinos have suffered so much at the hands of political institutions, from colonization to discrimination, from state violence to erasure. I could go on and on about the resilience of the Filipino people, and how much we have been put through, but ultimately, I will say that I want to fight for us, because we have fought so much. We see it in the labor movement, we see it in Magellan's death, we see it at every turn in our past, and I hope to carry on that legacy, too.

I am double-majoring in Political Science and Ethnic Studies, with a Pre-Law emphasis. The track I have set up for myself is clear: I hope to enter the field of civil rights law, and work to represent those whose humanity has been denied in our governmental system. Political science has long been the avenue towards creating change, as it teaches us to navigate the intricate playing ground that is the institution of the US. However, I know that political science alone is not enough to develop the skills I shall need to truly make a difference. Ethnic studies, which is a specialized form of history, is crucial to understanding the historical context that has led to the inequities we see today. I have always held great affinity for history, but even more so, I hold an appreciation for how we can learn from it to avoid making the same mistakes we have in our past and address how it still influences us today. Ryan seemed like a bright, kind young man. I too share many of his mentioned interests, and I imagine having a conversation with him on these topics would be delightfully engaging and teach me quite a bit. If I were to be honored with a chance to carry on his legacy, I would keep his passions in mind as I continue my studies. Improving our world is a daunting task, but there is a legion of eager volunteers to take that on, and I consider myself one of them. In a perfect world, I would be able to work as a pro-bono civil rights attorney, helping those who have been marginalized and healing the still-open wounds of our history. At the same time, I hope to find a hand in restructuring many of the archaic policies that should no longer serve our modern society. Many of our original aspects of government have aged well, but many have also been harmful. One thing I have always enjoyed was examining how different ancient civilizations designed their primitive forms of political systems, and I imagine that would be a great source of inspiration of truly reimagining how we function as a nation. We could look to the ancient Egyptians' state-sponsored healthcare, or how the ancient Etruscans achieved one of the best iterations of gender equality in their time. Far too many disregard our ancestors simply because they did not have the amassed store of knowledge we have been fortunate enough to inherit, but they not only helped contribute to that stockpile of information, they also had a fresh perspective we should certainly strive to emulate.