Joyce Castillo: From Ilocos to Wall Street and into the heart of the Filipino community
By Cristina DC Pastor
When Joyce Alano Castillo and her husband Arnold moved to Woodbridge, New Jersey in 1997, the world was in mourning. As they unloaded boxes into their new home, the radio carried the shocking news: Princess Diana had died in a car accident. Their sons were very young. One was entering high school, the other in second grade.
Joyce’s journey to New Jersey began thousands of miles away in the Philippines. She and Arnold married in 1983 in Ilocos Norte, where they had known of each other since their school days. Arnold, born in Hawaii to Ilocano parents, had spent much of his youth in the Philippines. But as a U.S. citizen living abroad, he faced a choice upon turning 21—keep his citizenship or forfeit it. On December 30, just before his birthday, he returned to the U.S., leaving his young wife behind temporarily.
Two years later, Joyce joined him in America. Her first job was a jarring introduction to the hustle of Midtown Manhattan’s fashion district—short-lived due to the harsh environment for a “probinsiyana” fresh from Ilocos.
“There’s too much cursing around me,” she recalled. “I was not comfortable with it.”
She left after one month and soon found her stride at Merrill Lynch on Wall Street, starting in bookkeeping for Mortgage Backed Securities and eventually rising to Compliance Officer. She worked for 25 years. She was there on 9/11, a day she recalls her “second life”. She worked as an Asset Manager in Deutsche Bank for two years and later joined MetLife Investments in Whippany as a Senior Compliance Officer.
Her husband Arnold built his long career, spending 28 years in Coca Cola after stints as an EMT for the Jersey City Medical Center, Hoboken EMS Volunteer and video distribution.
The couple raised two sons. Mark, the elder, works as a financial analyst for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and has two children, Milo and Marina with his wife Robin, an HR specialist. Michael a psychologist works as a care manager for Families and Communities Together, Inc. He is married to Camille, a nurse at Montefiore. At home, Joyce and Arnold speak Ilocano staying connected to their roots.
Joyce’s professional success is matched by her community involvement. She was introduced to the Filipino-American community scene through the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. She started as a volunteer, then eventually became a secretary and a board of director.
She does volunteer work with the GC Rivera Foundation. Every year she joins the foundation for its medical and surgical mission in the Philippines.
Later, she shifted to the Philippine-American Friendship Community (PAFCOM), attracted by its broader programs such as Pasko sa Hudson, Zumba and wellness classes, and support for seniors. She is currently its president. Before her tenure expires in December 2025, she would like to leave behind a series of educational outreach projects. She envisions workshops for financial wellness and retirement planning to be launched during Filipino American History Month in October.
“A lot of people don’t understand anything about retirement, taxes, or how to prepare for the future,” she said. “I want to educate them, not sell them insurance.”
She also has plans of producing a fundraising fashion show featuring Filipino designers. Also in her lineup of possible pursuits is introducing the community to decluttering services that help families organize, digitize, and preserve their memories.
She finished her Bachelor of Science in Biology at Saint Louis University in Baguio with dreams of becoming a doctor. Things have changed when she was offered a position as a professor at Northwestern College at the College of Nursing.
The small-town girl in Ilocos has become a Wall Street veteran, and now an important leader in New Jersey’s Filipino community. Joyce’s story is one of resolve, resilience, and reinvention.
