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Where are you from?
"I was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. My father, who is from Lubao, Pampanga, enlisted in the US Navy in 1957 and found himself stationed in Norfolk, Virginia when I was born in 1969. My mother, a nurse from Parañaque, immigrated to the United States in 1962. She met my father in San Diego, California where he was stationed before having to move to Virginia. They returned to San Diego after I was born and I grew up in Chula Vista, a city in the southern part of San Diego County (approximately 10 minutes north of the Mexican-US border). Mexicans and Filipinos were in the demographic majority. I married a Mexican American, so our children are Mexipinos! Our twenty-one-year-old son lives in Grinnell, Iowa and our twenty-four-year-old daughter resides in San Diego."
What does FAS mean to you?
As someone who grew up surrounded by Filipinos, FAS means a lot to me. Before I was even a year old, my father was assigned to the Navy base in San Diego, California. We were surrounded by Filipinos—many sailors and nurses! We lived next door to my Lolo and Lola on my mother’s side. They were founders of a Filipino organization called the South Bay Fil-Am Association. I have very fond memories of their meetings that were filled with food—so much food—laughter, and the Tagalog language. The holidays were especially fun because some formed a group that visited members’ houses and sang Christmas carols. It was so festive! It gives me comfort to be with the Filipino community created by FAS. I especially look forward to learning and practicing Tagalog with fellow FAS members. While it was my first language, I stopped speaking it by 1st grade. As a child, I desperately wanted to fit in as an “American,” so I took pride in not speaking Tagalog. Crazy, I know! As a man in his mid-fifties, I now recognize that the ability to speak Tagalog is a “super power.”
What's something you enjoy doing in your spare time?
"I’m one of those lucky people with such a meaningful job that I love working during my spare time. Often, my “work” doesn’t feel like work. As a college professor of history, that means lots of reading! I absolutely love to read. My focus has been on the history of Indigenous peoples in the United States, however, I am now highly motivated to learn about the histories of islands in the Pacific Ocean—the entire Pacific, in the southern and northern hemispheres. Historians have focused their attention on these places for their strategic value to the United States. However, I’m more interested in the histories of the peoples from the Philippines, Guam, Micronesia, the Pribolof Islands, Kodiak Island, and other island communities in the Pacific Ocean. In addition to reading, I also enjoy running, early morning walks with my wife and dogs, visiting and learning about Native reservations, and traveling to libraries and archives all over the globe. In short, whether it’s during my work time or spare time, I love to learn."
What's your go-to karaoke song?
"While both of my parents are Filipino, I fail in the area of music and dance as a Filipino. I don’t sing or dance well! So, I don’t have a “go to” karaoke song. In my fantasy life, I’d be able to sing Bill Withers' "Lovely Day."
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