AAPI culture means being able to honor and embrace my cultural roots. After moving here to the United States, I have realized that there are some irreplaceable and extremely essential cultural practices that can only be found in the AAPI. Living in the United States has shown me a very individualistic, career-building, and busy way of life. Success is almost always measured by numbers and influence. However, being raised in a Filipino household has shown me a different measure of success. Success is being right in the middle of GOD's will. Rather than being individual, it is all about being surrounded by support and encouraging others in their dreams. It is about helping your family and truly helping people with full dignity. It is not about rushing to the next stage of life but being fully focused on how to make the present moment more beautiful. It is about understanding the importance of leaving an impact whether it be seen and praised or not. That is what I have always loved about the Asian culture as it always seeks to steward everything in excellence. It is not about climbing up the career ladder for personal gain but climbing up the ladder so that you can create a way for others to go with you. The culture values family/community and recognizes that they are gifts from GOD so the ability to help and steward them well is a blessing. They do everything to the best of their abilities not necessarily to impress but to represent their dignity and integrity in everything they do. They work hard and never take the easy way out. As an Asian American myself, I feel that I have displayed these same characteristics in whatever environment I have been placed in. In high school, I was able to serve on the student council and athletic council. I was vice president of the national honor society and held positions on the cheerleading and track team as captain. I was also blessed to graduate as valedictorian. This was all made possible by the grace of GOD and the help and support of my family and community. Currently, I am a junior at Oral Roberts University. I am majoring in psychology and minoring in Christian counseling with a current GPA of 3.8. I participated in Division 1 track where I was awarded the all-in athlete award. This award represented the athlete who best embodied the core values of the ORU athletic department. I am currently also participating in Division 1 cheerleading in which I am learning to develop into my personality. It has allowed me to be confident and to truly be everybody's cheerleader through encouragement and support. A huge part of my heart also belongs to children. I have always loved the company of children as I weekly serve at children's church and am a part-time preschool teacher every time I am home for the summer. I babysit any time I can because the company of children help me to slow down and truly take things into perspective. They have no worries or titles and find pleasure in the simple things of life. It is beautiful to me and it reminds me to not complicate things. I truly just desire to leave an impact of GOD's goodness through every encounter. In doing so, it requires that everything be done with full integrity and diligence. The world is already full of everything else. This is what being part of the AAPI means to me - being set apart and looking different regardless of the popular customs that are taking place in this world.

Hello! My name is Nikki Victorious, I am currently a junior at Oral Roberts University with a GPA of 3.8 while participating in D1 track and cheerleading. In high school, I held multiple leadership positions like student council, athletic student council, vice president of the national honor society, and I was also blessed to be my class valedictorian. Time management for me requires three things. Focusing on spirit, mind, and body. I definitely could not have done anything without my Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who graces me to accomplish everything that I need to day by day. I have found that putting GOD first thing in the morning has helped my execution for everything else ahead. When it comes to the mind, discipline and a willingness to learn go hand in hand. I have found that switching my mindset from "I have to do school", to "I get to do school" has made all the difference. A couple of practical things I did when it came to school - utilizing the free time I had in class to work on any homework, disciplining myself to at least two hours of study time a day, hanging out with my friends by studying together, and being intentional about learning as much as I can through every opportunity. Physical fitness also plays a huge role in time management. I have found that taking the time to exercise my body gives me more discipline to execute everything else. I have more energy, I function properly, and my attention span is improved. This also goes hand in hand with what we put in our bodies. Eating healthier foods and staying hydrated definitely makes a difference when it comes to my stamina and how well I operate throughout the day. I was able to stay active at least five times a week due to my sports but practical things like walking instead of driving or using the stairs instead of the elevator really help to accommodate a more active lifestyle. A little goes a long way when it comes to time management. Time management is all about developing good habits. A practical and easy habit for time management is sleeping early. Sleeping early does not sound like the most fun but I have found that the earlier I start, the more productive I am. Another easy yet doable habit is creating a routine for the day. Creating a routine adds structure to the day and leaves less room for time to slip away. I have also found that writing things down helps me to keep track of what needs to get done which makes the process of distributing it throughout the day effortless. Last but not least, time management is all about spending your time doing what you love and what really matters. Taking time out of the week to rest, socialize, and reflect is extremely vital. Time management is not about being busy. It is about being intentional with every second that we can not get back. Regardless of how busy life and school get, it is necessary to slow down, enjoy, and really be thankful for the process and season of life we are blessed to be in.

Mabuhay! My name is Nikki Victorious. I come from a family of seven who moved to the United States in 2007. It was definitely a leap of faith for my dad had a very successful career as a chief of police and we were definitely living in comfort. However, my family walked in obedience to the LORD to leave everything that we knew was familiar and partake in an uncomfortable yet incredible journey to the states. When being in the midst of GOD's will, His goodness and mercy surely does follow. Although we stepped into the unknown, GOD honored it and blessed my family with a journey far beyond what we could have possibly asked for or imagined. A few instances of GOD's faithfulness in my personal walk include: track and field private school state champion, cheer captain, national honor society vice president, homecoming queen, and valedictorian. Currently, I am a junior at Oral Roberts University. I am majoring in psychology with a minor in Christian counseling. I chose this major because I believe that the battle of this generation is one of the mind. People are believing the lies and it is time to rise up and speak the truth. I have also found that when the inner work is done and the heart is healed it truly does change the trajectory of one's life. When it comes to extracurriculars, I ran D1 track and learned the value of discipline and being a team player. The other sport I am currently partaking in is D1 cheerleading. I have loved it because it truly has helped me to develop being a cheerleader as a part of my personality. It has allowed me to be confident and to truly be everybody's cheerleader through encouragement and support. I truly just desire to leave an impact in every encounter for GOD's glory. When I graduate, I plan on joining pageants to advocate for what I believe but to also exemplify being a woman of grace and beauty who lives in GOD's victory. Thank you for this opportunity!