If an AI system was trained to represent the Filipino-American experience, I’d want it to know about the pride we carry as a people, but also the weight of expectations that come with it. Growing up Filipino in the U.S. means feeling the responsibility of supporting family back home, while also learning the strength of always wanting to give back. It’s not just about achievements, it’s about carrying the hopes of an entire family. In a household with immigrant parents, I was raised under rules that felt very different from my friends. While kids around me got to hang out at the mall or play on the block, I was taught to be cautious and to keep family at the center of my trust. The strictness of my parents shaped me into an independent woman who knows how to trust herself and believes she’s capable of anything. I understand now that everyone was hard on me because they wanted me to be able to stand on my own. Coming into college, I realized those lessons prepared me for everyday life, where I don’t need to rely on others for help. Those expectations shaped who I am, and they’re something no algorithm could ever fully understand. A lot of people only see the clichés when it comes to Filipinos: Manny Pacquiao, nursing, lumpia. But our culture is much more than that. Even with food, most people think it’s all fried and unhealthy, but there are so many vegetable-based dishes that reflect how resourceful and creative we are. We’ve been boxed in by stereotypes, but the real story goes deeper. That is just the surface of the iceberg that no one else can express except those who live it. No AI could capture what it feels like to grow up Filipino-American, the pride and pressure, the guilt of wanting independence while knowing your family sacrificed everything, and the constant balance between two cultures. Those feelings aren’t something you can just program. When you mix Filipinos into any group, you get something beautiful. Many of these people know to accept and include everyone as if they're family. That's why when you meet one, they claim everyone as their family. Meet us at a party and we’ll be the ones offering you all the food even if you've said "no" for the 5th time. They’re lived moments, layered with struggle, joy, and love.

No surprise here, but my favorite group is BTS. The impact that they created in my life is immense. Like I got into college writing an essay on them, but I'll come back to that. Discovered them during their DNA era, but became into them during quarantine when I had nothing else to do. It all started with their Carpool Karaoke with James Corden. Since then, I have become a really big fan of them, especially during quarantine when all I watched was BTS. During class? Yes. Before I slept? Yup. I got into them with my best friend and that's what made it so special. As I learned about them, I learned how pure and wholesome people they were. They truly cared about their fans and their wellbeing. I admired them for their courageous attitudes that always strived for positivity and helping others. They know how powerful they are and the impact they can make with their Army. One thing that stood out to me was how they raised millions of dollars to donate to the Black Lives Matter organization. BTS continued to make this impact preaching about mental health and being transparent with their fans. Not only did they get to talk to the United Nations, but also the White House. They made up the majority of the income in South Korea and if that doesn't speak lightyears, then I don't know what. BTS became a sensational group that genuinely made good for the world. In my UC application, for the question that talked about creativity, I spoke out about BTS and how I created a fan Tiktok account based on them. I got to share my love for them with millions of other people, it became one of my hobbies that now has 11k followers. It is one of my favorite pastimes to watch others share their favorite performances of theirs and update one another on what they've done. Recently Suga or Yoongi had their concert and each of the members came out to watch him before he enlist into the army. BTS and Army has such a special and strong bond that I rarely see in other stans. They are so close-knit and it makes me feel so happy to be a part of it. They continue to shape the world in their ways and now that they are on a break, they individually are showing their colors and how amazing people they are. You can tell that they are truly the people they portray themselves to be and aren't just what the media shows them to be.

Many Netflix shows consist somewhat of the same plot, but the ones that stand out are the Korean Netflix shows and one in particular is Vincenzo. As I became an avid Korean drama watcher, this is one of the most talked about shows and I COMPLETELY understand why. There's so much more within this show. It stars a man named Vincenzo, who is a mafia lawyer from Italy who comes to Korea for his hidden gold but gets stuck for so much more. This show either had my jaw dropped, or just laughing constantly. The thing that makes this my favorite is that for the majority of the episodes, the scenes and plot rack up slowly and smoothly, but surely, all of that made sense in the end where it tied up in the last episode. No spoilers, but it was very unexpected. You never know the true mastermind and how a person can always be one step ahead. Vincenzo has a complex comedy that is different from any other show I've seen. Each person was their person, but each of them combined perfectly to create a comedic show. To add to that, there's a slight romance in the show that isn't necessarily focused on, but you can easily see the chemistry in the two main characters as they both have a contagious charm. Throughout the show they bicker, slyly look at one another, and they slowly fall for each other. My favorite part is how everything escalated from such a small plot to something even bigger. I'm not the biggest action fan, but this show had all the genres mixed and made me so invested. To be fair, I didn't think must of this show in the beginning, but I finished it in 2 weeks. It's quite long with 20 episodes and each being an hour, but it's so worth it. It's not cliche, it's not repetitive, it's a one-of-a-kind show. The two main characters are attractive people as well, what gets better than that? If it helps, I convinced my parents to watch this show knowing they don't watch Korean shows, and they are busy people with work and such. They finished this show faster than I ever did. They probably liked it more than me because they made jokes about the show for the next month. Once you start this show and give it a chance, you won't regret it nor will you stop talking about it. If you think it's a little boring, give it until the 5th episode and let's see if you don't like it. Highly unlikely.