By Cristina DC Pastor Greatness and gratefulness came together one soggy Saturday in October when 16 individuals were honored The Outstanding Filipinos in America (TOFA) in celebration of Filipino American History Month. “A thriving community of Filipino Americans adds to the quality of life here in New York State and across our nation,” said Gov. […]
“The entire course, and meaning, of my life changed with three words,” says Christopher Holl, author of ‘The Kano, The Teacher & The Lola: A Filipino-American Fable.’ “Filipino ka ba. Three words that completely changed the trajectory of my life were Tagalog.” Recently published, American-born and bred Holl describes the book as a celebration of […]
By April Deocariza Two Filipino students who performed on stage with Stella Abrera and her fellow American Ballet Theatre colleagues are now in New York City receiving the training experience of a lifetime. Steps Dance Studio scholars Elwince Magbitang and Raye Vince Pelegrin, both 16 years old, received invitations to study for one year at […]
By Reese Villazor New York City has some of the best public high schools in the United States. Among these are the eight specialized high schools, which include Brooklyn Tech, Bronx Science, and Stuyvesant. Gaining admission to these schools is earned only through the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) which is a very competitive […]
By Tricia J. Capistrano “You know what makes a performance great,” I said to my son, when he started to perform on stage— when you’re “bigay na bigay.” “Give na give,” I explained some more, when you give your whole heart. My son studies ballet and has been in several shows produced by the New […]
There are skeptics and doubters, just as there are likers and adorers. TOFA is never lacking in any of them. Yet, through its bumpy yet engrossing eight-year run, The Outstanding Filipinos in America remains in place, expanding its reach as an important search platform for the best and the brightest FilAms. Elton Lugay who founded […]
By Angelito Cabigao It’s 9 a.m. “I feel good” by James Brown is playing in Chloe’s, Barista, Spotify playlist while I’m sitting on a wooden stool in my beach shorts reading “Pursuit of Happyness” By Tony Hsieh. I’m enjoying a nice cold Dirty Horchata at El Union, which is a coffee shop located just steps […]
By Cristina DC Pastor CFC ANCOP USA Executive Director Roger Santos and his wife Josie live in Manalapan, a South Jersey town known for its large, sprawling homes. In the couple’s formal dining room, two of the five Christmas trees – dedicated to each grandchild — were waiting for Josie’s attention, the ribbons, shiny hanging […]
By Cristina DC Pastor In the late 1990s, way before the #MeToo Movement, lawyer Elizabeth Cueva worked for the City University of New York’s Office of Compliance and Diversity. As the director assigned in Kingsborough Community College-CUNY, she led a panel that investigated all sorts of sex-related incidents in the college involving students, faculty, college […]