![\"How](\"https:\/\/smps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MemberVoices-KEnglish-1280x570-1-1.png\")
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When I was in college, one of my friends told me I was a coconut\u2014brown on the outside but white on the inside. Like me, she was also Filipina and while she meant no harm in this term, she was right. I had grown up in a predominantly white town in Texas so while my parents tried to instill Filipino culture in me, I didn\u2019t really get to see it anywhere else. In fact, in high school a classmate referred to me as, \u201cthe Black girl you\u2019re dating\u201d when talking to my white boyfriend. He corrected my classmate, of course, but it showed how very small my town was.<\/p>\n
So, when I went away to college and joined the Filipino Student Association, I made sure to get inundated with my culture while still focusing on school. I got to relearn cultural dances I hadn\u2019t danced since I was eight, like the tinikling<\/em> or the itik<\/em> itik<\/em>. I also got to have some home cooked meals that I was missing, like pancit<\/em>, lumpia<\/em>, and adobo<\/em> \u2013 although none of it was ever as good as my mom\u2019s cooking.<\/p>\n This story isn\u2019t about food and dances; it\u2019s about how I\u2019ve learned to accept my culture and become less of an invisible minority. I use this term because there are parts of Filipino American history that often gets forgotten, even by me.<\/p>\n I remember having to write a report for school about what it was like when my parents were young. I talked to my dad since he grew up in California and had come to the U.S. at a young age. The one thing that has always stuck with me was when he told me about signs that read, \u201cNo Filipinos Allowed or No Dogs Allowed\u201d and how they were used interchangeably. This was due to many anti-miscegenation laws that enforced racial segregation, particularly in California. Having been born and partially raised in California, this was a bit shocking since most of my family was still near Stockton where a lot of this occurred. It also made me more aware of racial injustice and perseverance. They stayed where they weren\u2019t wanted and ended up building a life there \u2013 including a big white house where my grandmother and grandfather would house newly immigrated relatives until they could get on their feet.<\/p>\n I ended up moving back to Texas after college but really wanted to be back in California. My sister was attending medical school there and my brother was in Fresno. I decided to move to Los Angeles where I tried my hand in the film industry. One night I was out with some friends, including a few for the first time. I don\u2019t know if it was nervous energy or being in a new town, but I was talking to everyone at the bar. Some I met before, but most of them just started talking to me randomly. This guy in our group said, \u201cI\u2019m going to start calling you the mayor, because it seems like everyone knows you.\u201d He commented on the fact that I talked to everyone as if I was on the campaign trail listening to their stories or just shooting the breeze. Well, that nickname stuck for a while, and I took to it like it was my role.<\/p>\n Coincidentally my maternal grandfather was the mayor of a town called Baguio, the \u201cSummer Capital of the Philippines.\u201d He was a lawyer who would defend those he believed in and often got paid in kind as many of his clients couldn\u2019t afford a lawyer. That nickname for me was fitting, because instilled through my culture and my family is the value of service and humility; it\u2019s what Filipinos are known for. I\u2019ve always jumped headfirst into everything I do expecting nothing in return\u2014until one day, something at work got to me and helped me come to a realization.<\/p>\n It was when a newer engineer thought my co-director was my boss (I had already been at the company for over seven years and had helped to hire the co-director). I felt slighted. I\u2019ve never been about titles, but that just stung. Here I was pouring everything into my career with no recognition.<\/p>\n In the corporate world, we thrive on recognition. Without it we wouldn\u2019t get raises and promotions. I now knew that humility doesn\u2019t need to mean service without the recognition. I finally understood what it means to be Filipino American: to serve through leadership. To advocate for yourself and those who don\u2019t have the means, like my grandmother who helped those who newly immigrated to the United States or like my grandfather, the mayor, who supported the poor and even put some cousins through college who couldn\u2019t afford it.<\/p>\n I eventually moved to Michigan to be close to my husband\u2019s family and in the last few years, I\u2019ve been heavily recruited because I finally said yes to opportunities. I finally spoke up for myself and know my worth. I\u2019ve written several articles for Marketer<\/em>, presented a learning lab about storytelling, and even gave my Two Cents in Two Minutes for SMPS members. I\u2019ve helped to fundraise money for my community and served as the hospitality chair for the PTO at my daughter\u2019s school. Most recently, I’ve been serving as a Girl Scout Troop Leader where I get to mentor young minds on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) topics and entrepreneurship. I’ve helped launch a design podcast, was a guest on a podcast called “A Cup of Confidence,” and am now the content manager for Detroit Moms, including their podcast, “The Unfiltered Mom.” I’ve helped to mentor several colleagues to be advocates for themselves too\u2014to ask for what they are worth!<\/p>\n Understanding how values instilled in me through my culture has helped me not be invisible anymore. It has helped me mentor others to use their unique talents so that they can have fulfilling careers. It\u2019s also why I love SMPS. I\u2019ve been giving to the Society for over 10 years, and they\u2019ve welcomed me, encouraged me, and given me the platform to be an advocate. Like Filipinos, they too are hospitable and humble.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Article written by Krystle English, FSMPS, CPSM.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I was in college, one of my friends told me I was a coconut\u2014brown on the outside but white on the inside. Like me, she was also Filipina and while she meant no harm in this term, she was right. 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