I had to compete for my father’s attention, but I ended up focusing on myself to shine as brightly as I could, hoping he would notice. Growing up low-income in a non-traditional family taught me to be grateful for the blessings that we have, but at the same time, to learn how to sacrifice certain things just to be able to get by, and learning how to work hard to achieve my goals. My family consists of my parents, 2 half-siblings, and a younger brother, and my father is the sole provider for our entire family, as my mother had to quit her job in order to take care of all the children. Our family dynamic is far from conventional, and this has greatly shaped the childhood I had. I am thankful for my extended family for providing me with an upbringing filled with love, but there was always a void left behind. My father had to work countless hours away from home just to provide enough for all of us, and when he was with us, most of his attention went to my half-siblings. In a way, this was his approach in taking care of his children after their mother died, as he would have deemed me and my younger brother more fortunate to have both parents present still. Painful memories cannot be avoided, but I told myself that I would strive for the stars to build a better life for me, and eventually, the rest of my family, as a way to alleviate some burden from them. I worked hard to become a star and honor student, and involved myself in multiple extracurricular activities to set a good foundation. I learned to count my blessings every step of the way, every new friend I made, the chosen family that chose me, and every opportunity that passed by. After years of striving and working hard, I am happy with the life that I built for myself, as I wouldn’t have gotten here without the support of everyone along the way. As I start a new chapter here at San Jose State University, I am faced again with the same lessons I’ve learned along the way that got me here. I have to work hard and provide for myself to afford my living expenses and tuition while studying, but now I have learned to be grateful for even the smallest of blessings that I have, even if the journey is hard and things are rough. I have found a network of people that I hold dear here, even though I am far away from my family. Additionally, I am part of organizations and groups that enable me to work on projects that align with my passion for community service and my professional goals as a designer. Through these endeavors outside of my academic journey, I aim to create even the smallest of impacts in creating a positive space and experience for the people around me, especially for the new students I meet and those who have just begun their journeys as well. Even if things are rough now, I know to move forward with a positive attitude and to navigate life while being grateful for what I have. Once I am done with my academic journey, I intend to use my expertise and skills (whether it be in design, marketing, or tech) to create experiences and opportunities to uplift people, especially those in underrepresented communities, and hopefully–even in the smallest of ways–I get to ignite a spark of positivity in their lives one way or another.

AI systems are trained on data and set rules that will influence how the AI system will perform tasks such as answering inquiries, organizing data, and drawing conclusions. Similarly, to humans, we use data that will influence how we think, act, and respond to the world around us, and in our own situation, and this data can be referred to as context. The Filipino-American experience is a unique one, as are other experiences of immigrant populations. The context for a lot of Filipino-American families mainly relies on having to move to a foreign land for better opportunities, whether it be through the military, labor migration, or family reunification. The first thing I’d want the AI to know is that, regardless of the reason why Filipino-Americans came to be, they were all driven by family-oriented causes that made them pursue a better life, despite the harsh experiences they would and have come to face just to reach it. Having to leave everything familiar and dear to you in exchange for an entirely unfamiliar world strips you down to your bare self, forcing you to nitpick parts of yourself that fit your new world and discard the parts that don’t. Yet, a lot of people actively choose to put themselves through this tough journey simply for their families, whether it be to provide them with a better life or work elsewhere to be able to send money back home. This is the ultimate sacrifice that a lot of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans commit just for their families. Stemming from that, after navigating a new and unfamiliar world through a hard journey, at the end of it, Filipino-Americans don’t really feel fully Filipino nor American as they sit in their own limbo-like state. Too Filipino for Americans yet too American for Filipinos, never really feeling fully at home or a sense of true belonging. As such, Filipino-Americans find solace with other Filipino-Americans and other immigrant populations. Having to be constantly reminded that here in America, you’re too Filipino and in the Philippines, you are too American to fully feel a sense of belonging because of cultural reasons and upbringing can develop into bad imposter syndrome that can negatively impact your performance and mental health. This difficult experience is something that cannot be truly captured outside of those who didn’t get to experience it, and it is something AI should be aware of.