What does it mean to you to be Filipino American?

Being born in the Philippines and coming to the U.S. at a very young age, I struggled to understand how I could exist in two different cultures. To this day, I am still navigating cultural struggles like language barriers or knowing where exactly to fit in. However, I am thankful to my parents for carrying over our Filipino culture with us so that I had, and continue to have, the opportunity to grow as a person with both Filipino and American cultural influences. Some qualities that I attribute to being an immigrant and Filipino American are hardworking, family-centric, and determined.

What is your favorite part of your heritage?

My favorite thing about my heritage is that gatherings are always centered around two things, food and joy. Filipinos love finding reasons to celebrate, no matter how small the occasion, and you are sure to find tons of food, endless karaoke sessions, and spontaneous line dancing breaking out in random sections of the room. I love that no matter how hard life can get sometimes, Filipinos can find a way to smile through it even if it is only for a moment.

How do you personally work with people to create or foster diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Ventera is made up of so many wonderful people from many different backgrounds and life experiences. One thing I try to do to foster diversity is encourage discussion and invest time to get to know my peers. Getting to know their backgrounds, personalities, hobbies, and interests greatly helps me collaborate with them and build a comfortable environment at work.

In what ways have your past experiences with DEI influenced how you approach your work, your colleagues, and the world as a whole?

I have been so fortunate to experience new cultures and personalities throughout my time at Ventera. I would like to think that the various diversity initiatives at Ventera have made me a more open-minded and inquisitive person overall. I have less fear going out of my comfort zone because I know that my work environment is judgement-free and supportive.

What does it mean to you to have a commitment to diversity and inclusion? How do you think we can continue to support the need for social change?

The work culture and community plays such a huge part in employees’ lives. It makes a significant difference to me when the work environment makes diversity and inclusion a priority, and the initiative that Ventera has taken to achieve this has played a large role in my reasons for continuing to stay at this company.

There will always be room for improvement, but I think Ventera has made great achievements in highlighting our voices and making us feel supported and seen. Based on my experiences, this quality is a rare find.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

I’m terrified of squirrels… and just all rodents in general.