KuyaChris & Friends - The Filipino Garage - A Filipino American Perspective

Richmond Mayupao is a barber, artist, creative, and entrepreneur based out of Union City, CA. While he's been cutting hair for years, he's also an active artist and designer. He's released a number of shirt projects that have quickly sold out and he's currently releasing work under Cutty Flamenko. In this episode, he shares about his creative process, how he views himself as an artist and the work that he creates, and a general conversation about creativity and identity.

Stephanie Garma Balón, MA, AMFT (she/her) is a second-gen, Pinay-American, & proud Mama—born/raised on occupied land of the Ramaytush Ohlone people, AKA: Daly City/San Francisco, and of Ilokano & Visayan decent. As an Expressive Arts Therapist at StarVista in North San Mateo County (SMC) providing individual and group therapy to youth, parents, and families, Steph leans on her belief in the transformative healing power of the arts. This inspires her to intentionally integrate ritual, visual art, writing, and poetry in her professional and personal practice, especially as it relates to her continuous decolonial healing journey. Steph's work is rooted in trauma-informed care, narrative & relational-cultural therapeutic approaches. She has over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector and has an extensive community mental health advocacy background addressing health inequities amongst underserved populations, namely within the Filipinx community. She is a co-chair of the Filipino Mental Health Initiative of SMC, which was awarded a 2.6M grant by the State of California to launch a Social Enterprise Cultural Center for the Filipino American demographic in Daly City.

New project! This is the first experiment of exploring books on the podcast. I'll be giving an overview Leny Strobel's Coming Full Circle: The Process of Decolonization Among Post-1965 Filipino Americans. This is a pivotal book in FilAm literature and it has a lot of wisdom and lessons within it. It's an informal overview, with specific quotes thrown in to highlight the main takeaways. Coming Full Circle is a project of decolonization based off interviews with post-1965 Filipino Americans . Through a process that Strobel calls "fishing for knowledge" through books and interviews, she organizes themes of decolonization under the categories of Naming, Reflection, and Action. This framework is greatly influenced by Paulo Friere and his idea that oppressed peoples need to name the source of their oppression before they can enact change upon it. 11 generative themes of decolonization are presented, alongside a literature review of relevant material and research.

New project! This is the first experiment of exploring books on the podcast. I'll be giving an overview Leny Strobel's Coming Full Circle: The Process of Decolonization Among Post-1965 Filipino Americans. This is a pivotal book in FilAm literature and it has a lot of wisdom and lessons within it. It's an informal overview, with specific quotes thrown in to highlight the main takeaways. Coming Full Circle is a project of decolonization based off interviews with post-1965 Filipino Americans . Through a process that Strobel calls "fishing for knowledge" through books and interviews, she organizes themes of decolonization under the categories of Naming, Reflection, and Action. This framework is greatly influenced by Paulo Friere and his idea that oppressed peoples need to name the source of their oppression before they can enact change upon it. 11 generative themes of decolonization are presented, alongside a literature review of relevant material and research.

Rich Bustos is a Filipino American engineer, videographer, and financial minimalist. He currently works as a front-end developer at LinkedIn, where he's been at for seven years. Entering the company through an internship with Year Up, Rich shares about how he was hired on even if he didn't know how to code. The passion and drive in him opened up doors and led to his current career and financial stability. In this episode, we go over his entry into the workforce through Year Up, and organization that helps under-connected youth enter the tech industry. We talk about how minimalism and meditation helped Rich work through anxiety and panic attacks. Rich also shares a lot of reflections about financial stability and investing—a very important thing for our communities to learn and develop an understanding for.

Rich Bustos is a Filipino American engineer, videographer, and financial minimalist. He currently works as a front-end developer at LinkedIn, where he's been at for seven years. Entering the company through an internship with Year Up, Rich shares about how he was hired on even if he didn't know how to code. The passion and drive in him opened up doors and led to his current career and financial stability. In this episode, we go over his entry into the workforce through Year Up, and organization that helps under-connected youth enter the tech industry. We talk about how minimalism and meditation helped Rich work through anxiety and panic attacks. Rich also shares a lot of reflections about financial stability and investing—a very important thing for our communities to learn and develop an understanding for.

Nate Nevado is a Filipino American leader, Counseling Creative, and Educational Innovations Consultant. He currently works at Skyline College as a counselor and head of the Rock the School Bells conference—a hip hop educational program now in its 13th year. He is currently finishing his doctoral program at SFSU—writing about the intersection of counseling and Hip Hop Education. He’s also the founder of the CIPHER Hip Hop Learning Community at Skyline College, which provides Hip Hop education through transferrable college courses and relevant community programming. In this episode, we dive into the roots of his journey through Hip Hop and academia. From dropping out of community college to his eventual pursuit of a doctoral degree, Nate shares the multiple challenges and pivots he made throughout life to find his sense of purpose and direction. He goes over his early love for Hip Hop, the tensions within his traditional Filipino family, the doubts he had though college, and the eventual strength he found through community work and Hip Hop Education. There’s a wide range of wisdom in this episode, especially for Hip Hop heads, educators, counselors, and community workers.

Nate Nevado is a Filipino American leader, Counseling Creative, and Educational Innovations Consultant. He currently works at Skyline College as a counselor and head of the Rock the School Bells conference—a hip hop educational program now in its 13th year. He is currently finishing his doctoral program at SFSU—writing about the intersection of counseling and Hip Hop Education. He’s also the founder of the CIPHER Hip Hop Learning Community at Skyline College, which provides Hip Hop education through transferrable college courses and relevant community programming. In this episode, we dive into the roots of his journey through Hip Hop and academia. From dropping out of community college to his eventual pursuit of a doctoral degree, Nate shares the multiple challenges and pivots he made throughout life to find his sense of purpose and direction. He goes over his early love for Hip Hop, the tensions within his traditional Filipino family, the doubts he had though college, and the eventual strength he found through community work and Hip Hop Education. There’s a wide range of wisdom in this episode, especially for Hip Hop heads, educators, counselors, and community workers.

Marc Escobar is a FilAm journalist, poet, and drummer. Currently majoring in Political Science at UC Berkeley, he's spent majority of his time in the Bay Area—attending Westmoor High School in Daly City and transferring from Skyline College in San Bruno. Born in the Philippines, Marc shares about his childhood in San Diego and his family's eventual move to the Bay Area. He opens up about learning how to drum from his uncle and the spaces that led him to over the years—band in middle school and high school, then drumming for the Pilipino Cultural Night at UC Berkeley. In this episode, we also talk about the community college experience and transferring into UC Berkeley—social circles, authenticity, balance, and friendships.

Marc Escobar is a FilAm journalist, poet, and drummer. Currently majoring in Political Science at UC Berkeley, he's spent majority of his time in the Bay Area—attending Westmoor High School in Daly City and transferring from Skyline College in San Bruno. Born in the Philippines, Marc shares about his childhood in San Diego and his family's eventual move to the Bay Area. He opens up about learning how to drum from his uncle and the spaces that led him to over the years—band in middle school and high school, then drumming for the Pilipino Cultural Night at UC Berkeley. In this episode, we also talk about the community college experience and transferring into UC Berkeley—social circles, authenticity, balance, and friendships.

Janice Sapigao is an accomplished writer, poet, and professor at Skyline College. Born and raised in San Jose, she finished her undergraduate degree in Ethnic Studies at UC San Diego. She then received her MFA from CalArts and has taught all throughout California. Her first book, Microchips for Millions, was first published in 2016, following by Like a Solid to a Shadow in 2017. She continues to teach at the CIPHER program at Skyline College and is an active writer and poet. In this episode, Janice shares some poetry and insight about her creative writing process. She gives her backstory and snippets of her journey as a writer—how she decided to pursue an MFA after writing for her college Pilipino Cultural Night. Janice also shares the ups and downs of balancing her career as a professor along with her work as a writer. She speaks on the process of finding a publisher for her first book and the transition to following projects.

Janice Sapigao is an accomplished writer, poet, and professor at Skyline College. Born and raised in San Jose, she finished her undergraduate degree in Ethnic Studies at UC San Diego. She then received her MFA from CalArts and has taught all throughout California. Her first book, Microchips for Millions, was first published in 2016, following by Like a Solid to a Shadow in 2017. She continues to teach at the CIPHER program at Skyline College and is an active writer and poet. In this episode, Janice shares some poetry and insight about her creative writing process. She gives her backstory and snippets of her journey as a writer—how she decided to pursue an MFA after writing for her college Pilipino Cultural Night. Janice also shares the ups and downs of balancing her career as a professor along with her work as a writer. She speaks on the process of finding a publisher for her first book and the transition to following projects.

This episode is a listening session for KuyaChris' most recent album, Mahalola. It's a big episode at 5 hours long! We go song by song, telling any relevant stories or takeaways from the album. The homies also share their thoughts and reactions to the music. We go into a range of topics, from creativity and perfectionism to past relessonships and masculinity. There's a lot of content here, with the first song playing around the 40-minute mark.

This episode is a listening session for KuyaChris' most recent album, Mahalola. It's a big episode at 5 hours long! We go song by song, telling any relevant stories or takeaways from the album. The homies also share their thoughts and reactions to the music. We go into a range of topics, from creativity and perfectionism to past relessonships and masculinity. There's a lot of content here, with the first song playing around the 40-minute mark.

Angela Hien is a multidisciplinary creative who uses a variety of mediums—from sculture and installations to audio and singings—to express her experience as a Vietnapina American. She was born in Sacramento, CA to a Vietnamese father and a Filipina mother. She recently finished studying Art Practice and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley, with plans to go into education in the future. In this episode, we talk about her creative process, her experience as a Vietnamese/Filipina American, and her experience going back to the Philippines and Vietnam this last summer. She participated in UC Berkekey's inaugural study abroad program (along with previous guest Joshua Laurel) and we go over her experiences and takeaways. She also sings two cover songs and two originals! Additionally, we go over her art portfolio in the end, deconstructing how she creates and approaches her art practice.

Angela Hien is a multidisciplinary creative who uses a variety of mediums—from sculture and installations to audio and singings—to express her experience as a Vietnapina American. She was born in Sacramento, CA to a Vietnamese father and a Filipina mother. She recently finished studying Art Practice and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley, with plans to go into education in the future. In this episode, we talk about her creative process, her experience as a Vietnamese/Filipina American, and her experience going back to the Philippines and Vietnam this last summer. She participated in UC Berkekey's inaugural study abroad program (along with previous guest Joshua Laurel) and we go over her experiences and takeaways. She also sings two cover songs and two originals! Additionally, we go over her art portfolio in the end, deconstructing how she creates and approaches her art practice.

Zaldy Tubig is a rapper, musician, and creative based out of the Bay Area. With roots in the SoMa distrct of San Francisco, he has a rich history and knowledge of the Bay and the city—especially in regards to the Filipino community and culture of SoMa Pilipinas. In this episode, we talk about his beginnings with music and writing—from peotry and music sessions at Y Projects to his current work and releases with local Bay Area artists. On the podcast, Zaldy performs some of his recent tracks, in addition to pieces from his debut mixtape THERAPY VOLUME 1. Zaldy recently changed his stage name to Zaldy Water—we talk about the history of his name and the connections with his father and the Philippines. Throughout the episode, Zaldy drops some serious wisdom and reflections in regards to growing up in working-class neighborhoods and the growth he's gone through in his life.

Joshua Laurel is a Public Health major student at UC Berkeley, set to graduate this 2020! He went to the Philippines this last summer and studied at UP Diliman, through UC Berkeley's first Study Abroad initiative in the Philippines. In this episode, we talk about his experience during study abroad—going back to study at his home country's top public university—and any major takeways or lessons he learned. We also talk about a range of topics, such as pagibig and the cultural differences in terms of dating and relatioships between the Philippines and the United States. Joshua also shares his immigration story of moving to the United States at 12 years old and the process of acclimating to a new environment.

Kudazzers is a podcast based in the Philippines—made for and by Gen Z and Gen Y locals—hosted by Iris Montesclaros, Eudes Garcia, Natalie Estrada, Ingrid Joyce, and Martin Glen. In this episode, two of the hosts talk about the beginnings of the Kudazzers podcast and their plans moving forward. We also get into a range of topics, spanning from the concept of "bayawaks" who challenge the beauty standards of the Philippines and queer theory as situated within the Philippine context. Check out their podcast on Spotify and other platforms—it's guaranteed to be hilarious.

BC Poppas is the podcast, project, and platform of two jiu jitsu brown belts from Bacolod City, Philippines—Jojo and Jon. Born and raised in Bacolod City, Jojo knows the local context and life of the region, making him a perfectly-suited to work with the various communities in the area. In this podcast, he talks about his work with street children—majority of them in gangs or affected by drug use—and his development as a community leader and mentor. Jon shares more about his work and perspective regarding the Nothing 2 Lose Foundation and the outreach programs they are currently pursing. Both Jojo and Jon run a jiu jitsu gym in Bacolod City—BC Martial—while also working with "youth in conflict with the law" at the local Social Development Center where youth who have been arrested await sentencing.

Bettina Francisco is a student, musician, creative, and emcee based out of San Francisco, California. Currently, she is an RA at USF and is majoring in Critical Diversity Studies and Philippine Studies. Having spent a lot of time meditating and reflecting on her own energies, she shares her personal self-care practices and relationship with mental health. In this episode, we cover a wide range of topics, including her relationship with ancestors and intergenerational trauma. Bettina also shares beautiful creative pieces—a few about her daughter that passed away. In this episode, she also talked about her creative process and how she began writing raps. She shares a realization that: "I need to heal myself before I write something." Listen to her thoughts, reflections, and perspective on love and energy.

Rudy Kalma is a Filipino American musician, rapper, producer, and audio engineer, currently based out of Sacramento, California. Born in the Philippines, Rudy eventually moved to California, growing up around San Francisco & Daly City, before attending UC Davis for undergrad. After finding his love for making music and rapping in high school, he continued to hone his live performance skills while simultaneously releasing a multitude of songs throughout his college career. In 2018, he released a full-length project titled "Labor of Love" and continued to perform on local stages and events. Using a mix of elements for his album—from Tagalog sequences to a wide range of hip hop beats—Rudy delivers a uniquely mellow yet upbeat rap album. He tells a story of immigration, meditation, reflection, and the continued process of trying to find stability as a musician. Adding more to the impressiveness of this album, Rudy mixed all the tracks as well, displaying his skills as an audio engineer.

This last February, four Filipino bois participated in a challenge—The Pogi Boi GoPro Challenge. Using the MapMyRun app, we decided that whoever ran the most miles in the month would win a Gopro, and the losers would chip in to pay for it. We had Joshua Berja, Christian Guerrero, Joseph Magsaysay, and Kevin Reber participating in this challenge. In the end, Mr. Reber came out on top with a total of 108.57 miles! In this podcast session, we talk about our experiences, the takeaways from the runs, our reflections, and thoughts for another challenge. Overall it was a fun experience where we all collectively got better and improved, even with challenges throughout.

Mykho Magalong is a Filipino American drummer, musician, designer, and owner of the streetwear brand SFxDC. Born and raised in Quezon City, Philippines, he immigrated to the United States when he was around 14 years old. Entering Balboa High School, he was exposed to the hyphy movement in the Bay Area and eventually joined local music groups—Boondock Squad and Doble Bara. In the last few years, he launched his clothing brand SFxDC after making some clothes for friends, the Sorry Ser Crew. He's continually working on his brand, releasing new designs, and expanding his creative outlets—a community magazine is now in the works. Additionally, he continues to play the drums for a variety of music groups—most recently with Ruby Ibarra and the Balikbayans. In this episode, he plays some live drums, talks about his relationship to music, and his vision for SFxDC. Additionally, he shares reflections about working as a caregiver and the thoughts that experience has brought about, especially in terms of caring for family and his elders.

Isabel Bagsik is a Filipina American graphic designer and creative who recently published the Brown Papaya magazine project—an initiative to challenge the colonized beauty standards of the Filipinx community—one where skin whitening products dominate the beauty industry. The Brown Papaya project aims to "reclaim and embrace darker, brown sunkissed skin" and counteract the negative stereotypes attached to that aesthetic. Born in Pasay City, Philippines, Isabel was brought to the US as a child and grew up in the Bay Area, eventually graduating from UC Davis with double B.A. degrees in Design and Technocultural Studies. She has worked as a designer with students organizations and larger groups such as Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. She is currently working at the Communication Arts magazine as a Design and Production Associate while simultaneously developing her own personal design portfolio and projects.

Angelo Lirazan is a Filipino American entrepreneur based out of the 626 region of Los Angeles, CA—land of the boba. He currently runs Absolve Gaming, an online reseller of trading cards, while also consulting on website development and marketing projects. In this episode, we go over his history of being born in California, moving back to the Philippines, spending a few years in Hawai'i, and returning to Los Angeles for the remainder of his primary schooling. After graduating high school from Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead, he ended up joining the US Army Reserve in order to pay for college. Once entering the professional workforce, he reached the position of Marketing Director for a large tent-manufacturing company, managing a budget of up to $1mil/year for advertising. After working this job and a few others, he decided to pursue running his own business full-time. We talk about this journey, the ups and downs, the challenges, and the reasoning behind his decisions.

MC Zuko is a FilAm rapper and Hip Hop artist based out of Los Angeles, CA. Born Carl Viray, he's lived in both NorCal and SoCal, eventually graduating from Cal State University, Northridge. He recently released his "Respect the Hustle Mixtape" and it's officially flames. In this episode, Zuko performs a number of his tracks and talks about his journey towards pursuing music full-time. Through the lens of the 5 stages of grief, Zuko tells his story from childhood to present-day, relating his journey through music as a process of decolonization. We also get personal—deconstructing family dynamics, infidelity, and reflections of what type of men we want to be. This is a beautifully introspective episode with a lot of gems and little nuggets of wisdom. Go shoot him a follow, listen to his music, and get inspired.

Raquel Calara is a student organizer currently majoring in Social Welfare at UC Berkeley. She is the SHADOW Coordinator for Pilipinx Academic Student Services (PASS) and is also one of this year's Pilipinx Cultural Night co-producers. This last summer, she traveled to the Philippines with Kabataan Alliance for a community immersion trip where she visited striking workers, fisherfolk communities, indigenous Aeta groups, and activist organizations. In this episode, she reflects on the significance of this trip—being only the 2nd time she's been in the Philippines—and the various takeaways she's gotten from the experience. She explores the implications of the striking NutriAsia workers, the importance and relevance of activism, and the shifts this trip has had on her future trajectory as both a student and community organizer. There's also a lot of reflections about growing up as a Filipina in the United States, the initial distancing from her culture, and the rediscovery and acceptance of identity while in college.

Kevin Bradley Paule is a Pilipinx community organizer, political activist, and storyteller who's currently in the Media Studies program at UC Berkeley. He is this year's Recruitment Director for Pilipinx Academic Student Services (PASS) and we was last year's Co-Producer for UC Berkeley's Pilipino Cultural Night—Umaalab. In this episode, Kevin talks about his experience growing up in Southern California and his transition into UC Berkeley as a first-generation Filipino college student. He explores the intersection between identifying as queer and Filipino—both the struggles and the support he's received—closing with how he's been able to find a sense of self and stability.

Jed Lee is a Chinese-Filipino Taiwanese-American who's studying at UC Berkeley. He's currently majoring in Society & Environment while also minoring in Global Poverty & Practice, Food Systems, and City Planning. This summer of 2018, Jed traveled to the Philippines and worked with the IBON Foundation for the Practice Experience component of his GPP minor. Jed shares his reflection of being in the Philippines, seeing the differences and inequalities, especially from a privileged first-world perspective, while also trying to find ways to advocate for both the environment and marginalized communities. He talks about his experience within the Global Poverty & Practice minor, in addition to some reflections regarding "sustainable development," activism, and other complicated topics related to poverty alleviation.

Jon Tulio is a Filipino American educator, father, and director of the Nothing to Lose (N2L) Foundation, which operates in the Philippines. N2L runs a scholarship program where the top basketball and volleyball players in the Romblon province are brought together for an all-star camp, in addition to offering full-ride college scholarships to selected leaders and community members. John co-launched this organization in 2006, alongside a fellow educator and high school basketball coach—Michael Ferolino. The two started a summer all-star camp in Romblon, and their initiative has expanded to include a volleyball program and medical missions throughout the area. N2L has also been able to successfully support numerous scholars throughout their college education—covering costs—with some scholars coming back to work as staff for the organization.

Niko Stephen is a Filipino American / Pilipinx producer, DJ, and singer who has grown up in Union City, California. As a musician, he has a background playing brass and bass instruments, with a solid background in Jazz and competitive marching band. He is an alumni of UC Berkeley, having graduated in 2016 with a degree in Public Health, and was active in on-campus organizations such as PASS (Pilipinx Academic Student Services). He's a member of the music collective Soul Vision, and is currently active as musician in the bay area—producing, performing, and DJing music. In this episode, we talk about range of topics from music fundamentals to our thoughts on love and masculinity. We go over Niko's reflections about being a man of color in America, along with lessons learned from his time in student organizations. Throughout the session, Niko also drops mad musical skills, performing three songs (he produced all the instrumentals) and freestyling over one his beats in the end. Come listen, tell us what you think, and be inspired to get your music game up.

Joy Ng is an Asian American writer, community service worker, and events organizer from San Francisco, California. Born and raised in The City, she’s worked with numerous Filipino American organizations, ranging from PACE at SFSU to the Veteran’s Equity Center in SoMa. She actively works within the world of Asian American hip hop, most recently working with Ro3lay to coordinate the Native Immigrant album launch at the I-Hotel Manilatown Center. With a wide range of experience in both academia and hip hop, she connects both worlds through her writing, publishing pieces such as “Friscopinos & the Native Immigrant” and “Re: CIRCA91.” In addition, she contributes to the telling of Asian American narratives through her “High Tides” series—a set of non-fiction short stories based on her Chinese American mother’s experiences in San Francisco.

Richard "Ro3lay" Olayvar is a Filipino American rapper and artist born and raised in San Francisco. He recently dropped "Native Immigrant," a collaborative album with Mister REY that explores the duality of his experience as a Filipino American. In this episode, we dive deep into his album, talking about the motivations and meanings behind each track. He talks about the struggles of an artist in "Simula," the effect of savory but unhealthy Filipino foods in "Kawali," the intersectional experience of being a Filipino American in "Native Immigrant," the changing state of San Francisco in "Playaz," and a bunch more. Take a listen and soak up some reflections about poetry, rap, music, and hip hop. Ro3lay also shares about his family's history, specifically his mother, who also writes poetry and raised him in a very creative household. Overall, Ro3lay is a seasoned artist and performer. He has a few more upcoming projects to keep an eye out for, so listen and get connected!

Dre "Dre?Who" Cuevas is a Bay Area Filipino American music producer, DJ, event organizer, and all-around creative. He runs Homeroom Radio, interviewing local artists and creatives, and has also released two production EPs—LETTERS and Love Without a Limit. He's performed at numerous venues over the years and has recently begun organizing his own events and parties. In this episode, he shares a little bit about his production process as we listen to tracks from his most recent project. He also opens up about his growth as a producer and his experience of expressing emotions through his music. Dre opens up and is honest about his struggles as a student, especially in regards to moving to Southern California, away from his family and community. He found solace through music and has intentionally created his tracks to evoke certain emotions and feelings when listening. We talk a lot about personal growth, love, relationships, and creativity throughout this oped. Take a listen!

Kris "BerjaBeatz" Berja is an up-and-coming producer based out of San Francisco, California. Born and raised in The City, Kris is currently pursuing the craft of music production—consistently releasing beats and collaborating with local artists. We open this episode with a beat he threw together IN 15 MINUTES—dude can work fast. We also have a few more freestyle sessions throughout our talk, with Kris walking through his process of producing beats, from finding a melody that he likes to building the percussion of the song. This one is a fun and bouncy episode!

Aristel "Aristyles" De La Cruz is a Filipino American rapper, producer, poet, and teacher. Born and raised in San Francisco, he developed a love for hip hop through community exposure and cyphers, leading him to release multiple projects and collaborate with various local musicians, like Mister REY. As an alumnus of Balboa High School, he eventually returned there to teach an ethnic studies class through Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP). This experience solidified his desire to pursue a career in education. Graduating from San Francisco State University—like 80% of the other guests on this podcast—he worked in various local schools, before establishing himself at South San Francisco High School. Over the years, he's taught Ethnic Studies at this campus, eventually transitioning into his current focus of teaching English Language Development (ELD) to multiple grades.

Kim Davalos is an accomplished Filipina American educator, community artist, and counselor. Born and raised in Stockton, California, she moved quickly through academia, finishing her undergrad at San Diego State University and her Masters in Counseling at San Francisco State University—all by the age of 21. At the same time, she worked on her craft as a poet—participating in open mics and winning a slam competition during her undergrad—eventually taking on photography as well. She's currently working as a counselor at Skyline College. She teaches for CIPHER, the first West Coast hip hop learning community in the country. Using hip hop as a platform to engage students and promote academic success, she's now taking on the position of lead Coordinator for Rock the School Bells—a conference that uses hip hop and arts to engage and empower youth to excel in higher education.

Patrick Racela is a Filipino musician and community organizer based out of San Francisco. Originally from Pittsburgh, California, Pat shares his transition from student to organizer throughout his years at San Francisco State University. He became politicized though the League of Filipino Students (LFS) at SFSU and was also a member of the historic Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE). Currently, he works as a coordinator for Kabataan at the Filipino Community Center—a high school youth program—while also organizing for Kabataan Alliance, a national coalition of various youth and student organizations across the United States. In this episode, Pat shares a few raps and poems inspired by his life experiences and political education. We also talk about his various community exposure trips throughout the Philippines with Kapit Bisig Kabataan Network and his continuing advocacy work for Filipino issues and concerns.

Rey Timosa Novicio Jr. is a Pinoy musician, producer, community mentor, and mental health advocate. He goes by the stage name of Mister REY and has released both instrumental and solo albums. He also recently produced the whole Native Immigrant album of Ro3lay. Born and raised in Makati, Philippines, he immigrated to the US when he was 12 and moved into the Mission District of San Francisco. He participated in multiple youth programs such as Youth Speaks and has now transitioned into the role of facilitator. He has coordinated afterschool programs in the South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood—some specifically targeting at-risk 1st generation Filipino American you who were on probation. He has used music to support and youth and provide spaces for expression and growth. Currently, he’s the Program Coordinator for Filipino Mental Health Initiative, an organization based out of the Bayanihan Resource Center, which aims to provide community services and end the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

Kevyn Lorenza just came back from his first trip in the Philipines! He was able to visit different communities in Luzon and Mindanao, with the specific goal of learning about the education system and the struggles of the various sectors in the country. He went with Laya Migrant Youth for Change and Action, based out of Daly City, and this episode has a few reflections on the trip, specifically about the struggles of the Aeta and Lumad communities. Our local hosts in the Philippines were PSET and Salupongan International. We talk about the shifting educational system with K-12, the problems in indigenous communities, and the exposure to martial law in Mindanao.

Rodney Manalo is a Filipino American musician who goes by the stage name of Mr. No Name. He was born in Daly City and continues to create and perform his music in local shows and events—this guy can rip a freestyle! He's also in the Year Up program, currently interning at a tech company, while still consistently working on his craft. He has long-term visions to work as an illustrator and character designer, while still maintaining his love for music. He shares his experience growing up in the Bay Area, his personal struggles with drugs and family, while also diving into the positive influence music has played in his life. There’s good reflections and advice on music in this episode—tangible skills to work on such as rhyming and cadence—in addition to personal reflections on depression and self-harm ideations. This one is worth listening to, especially for the amount of freestyles Rod dropped during the episode.

Kevyn Lorenzana is a 22-year-old Filipino American emcee, poet, musician, organizer, barber, and community organizer. He’s headed to the Philippines this summer on a community exposure trip to visit rural schools. Once he comes back in the fall, he will be pursuing a degree in Asian American Studies at UCLA. In this return episode, he shares an original song written for Roderick Daus-Magbual’s Filipina/o American Community Issues class and drops a few freestyle bars. We talk about his history of being an SF-born FilAm and his journey through realizing his identity—thanks to the help of Skyline College and ethnic studies. Kevyn is dedicated to serving his community and shares his long-term vision to be a teacher, especially for incarcerated youth. He shares experiences of being mugged at gunpoint as an 8th grader and the effects of the prison system within his own family, but also shares an understanding perspective in regards to larger systems of influence such as poverty and colonial mentality. Take a listen, be inspired, and join us on this journey.

Katrina Liwanag is a FilAm singer-songwriter native to San Francisco and is active in multiple community organizations and grassroots movements. In this episode, she sings and performs two songs that relate to her experiences regarding community exposure trips throughout the Philippines. She shares her point of view on political and social issues, her background growing up in San Francisco, her involvement in various Filipina/o American organizations such as Kappa Psi Epsilon and League of Filipino Students, and her upcoming trip to the Philippines.

Michelle Yvette is a Pinay who immigrated to the United States in 2012 and is currently at Skyline College, pursuing a degree in Business. During her time in Daly City, she found a sense of home and community through dancing and other artistic endeavors. She’s helped choreograph for the Pilipino Cultural Night and has been working alongside other local dancers for events run by The Filipino Channel (TFC). In this episode, she opens up with a short song cover and poem, then shares her aspirations to pursue a career in Showbiz, especially in the Philippines. She also dives into how religion has given her support and purpose, especially in the face of challenges such as a broken family and immigrating to a new country. In the end, she leaves a few reflections for younger Filipinas, both general thoughts and relationship advice. Come listen!

Dessa Hipolito is a Filipina immigrant to California, an active leader at Skyline College, a singer, and an overall great role model for FilAm youth. On campus, she’s been this year’s Commissioner for Student Activities while also producing the last two Pilipino Cultural Nights. Next school year, she is planning to transfer to UCSD and continue her academic and personal journey. She shares her family's immigration history, her struggles, and her integration process into America and community college life. She closes with some reflections on relationships and shares some advice for other young immigrants.

Ate Bea Zamora is this year's Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) at Skyline College. She's an English teacher in the Philippines and has been in the US for the last 9 months, teaching the Filipino language and assisting Filipino American classes through the Fulbright teaching program. She's also been co-assisting College Success classes at both Westmoor and South City high schools. She shares a reflective poem, talks about her experience of arriving in America, and expounds on the differences she's noticed between Philippine-born and American-born Filipinos. Pinay power!

Sean Pierre Viray is a Filipino American entrepreneur and creative. He worked as a professional photographer before launching a medical cannabis delivery service—Mighty Breed. We talk about his experiences growing up in San Francisco and the various transitions he's gone through in life—he even shares a classic Filipino love story at Serramonte Mall and gives some relationships advice, so listen up young ones! Follow him on Instagram @sean_pierre_ and check out MightyBreed.org

Herschel is a Filipino American who was born in Mountain Veiw, but grew up in Bakersfield, CA. While a student at SFSU, he's taught at Denman Middle School with Pin@y (Pinay/Pinoy) Educational Partnerships (PEP) and is looking to be a copywriter in the future. We talk about how he distanced himself from Filipinos while growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, but then found a sense of inportance in his culture after taking an Ethnic Studies class at De Anza College—an awesome community college institution in Cupertino.

Joseph Magsaysay is a designer, poet, MC, and community organizer. He was born in the Philippines, moved to San Francisco and Daly City, attended Skyline College and UC Berkeley, and is now working at SFO. Listen as he drops some bars and shares a little bit of his life story and points of view on design and community. His current projects include Infant Seeds, an art collective, and Rays Up, an after-school high school program for creative arts. Follow him on Instagram @infin8seph and @infantseeds

Joshua Berja is a Filipino American, native to San Francisco! I met him when he was in high school and part of Kabataan, an after-school group based out of the Filipino Community Center in San Francisco. He's currently part of the Year Up program, which trains and places urban youth into tech positions. In this episode, Joshua shares a rap verse, talks about his post-highschool experience, and breaks down Tinder within today's "hook up" culture.