Q: Have you had the chance to visit your country or region of origin? If so, what made it meaningful to you?

“While I was in the military, I had a layover in the Philippines, and coincidentally, my Dad was visiting the Philippines. I was there with my Dad in the Philippines, enjoying my roots and culture for only one day, and it meant a lot to me because it was the first and last time with my Dad before he passed away. I’m thankful I got to be there with my dad.”

Q: What’s something about your culture that you deeply love or are proud of?

“Filipino culture is all about family. Family is always going to be around and friends are always going to be different from one day to another — so family is important. Regardless of whether we fight, we are always going to be a family and be there for each other.”

Q: What’s something unique about your heritage that you wish more people knew or understood?

“There is a tie between the elderly and the young, we have that respect. You call everyone an auntie or uncle, regardless if you’re related or don’t even know who they are. It is a culture of welcome.”

Q: What is something unique about your culture or something people don’t know about that you wish more people knew about?

“There is a stereotype that India is polluted or dirty. India is not just polluted; there are really pretty and beautiful landmarks to see and visit, which people sometimes just look over.”

Q: Is there a tradition or cultural practice that’s really special to you?

“I love Diwali. We put candles all over the house and do fireworks and other stuff. I love how every holiday has a tie to our religion, Hinduism.”

What makes you proud to be AAPI?

“It makes me proud to be from somewhere different because I can show and share my culture to my friends. Also, traveling to India and to other countries for layovers gives me lots of experiences to share and have.”

Q: What is your favorite thing about your culture?

“The food is definitely a plus, I love Asian food in general. I love how Japanese culture is very friendly and traditionally-oriented. Japan has a very good structure, everyone knows how to be respectful to each other.”

Q: If you have been there, what do you like about it?

“One thing I like about Japan is the urban planning. Public transportation is a big thing, not many people have cars and it’s common for people to walk everywhere. Because of that, you get to interact with people more and everything is way more accessible.”

What makes you proud to be AAPI?

“There are a lot of Asians in Sycamore, so knowing that there are people here who share that same connection is a good feeling to have.”

Q: What is your favorite thing about your culture?

“I love how Filipino people are very friendly and welcoming. Everyone is always smiling, and we definitely laugh the loudest. Family gatherings are fun because there is usually a lot of people, and everyone eats, laughs, drinks, and does karaoke or some type of game.”

Q: What do you appreciate about your culture?

“One thing I really love about the Philippines is the religion. The Philippines is very Catholic, and we do not play about our faith and holidays like Christmas — it starts in September, so there’s Christmas spirit for around four months.”

Q: What do you love about the Philippines?

“I love the food—it is very unique compared to other Asian countries. It’s a mix of Spanish food and Asian. I also love the beaches and the weather, the water and land are so beautiful and the weather’s always warm.”

Q: What do you appreciate about your culture?

“I love how we always take care of our nature, we are very appreciative of the land around us. And our family, ohana, is always very close and we spend time with each other spreading aloha – spreading kindness and positivity.”

Q: What is your favorite thing about your culture?

“My favorite thing is the food. Hawai’ian food is very good, people just need to try it. We put many different things in our food, which makes it unique and different than food here.”

Q: What do you love about Hawai’i?

“I like how we take care [of] and appreciate the land. The weather is always hot and humid. I love how the trees never die, and how the ocean is always beautiful and clean, the environment itself is just very welcoming.”

Q: What’s your favorite part of your culture?

“I am very proud of our values. Family is very important. We appreciate our ancestors a lot, and on many holidays, we go to our ancestors’ tombs to worship them. This way, we can remind ourselves [of] our roots and where we come from. My Mom is 89 and my grandma passed away, so I always think about what I do in this world shouldn’t let them down. It is kind of emotional to me because I miss them – everything I do is to honor and respect them.”

Q: Why do you believe it’s important for schools to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month?

“It is really about appreciating people who contribute to this country. We are humble people, so sometimes people might ignore or overlook what we do for the community. We can use this time to recognize their contributions to our society.”