It’s Filipino-American Month so I thought I would write about, well, being a Filipino-American! Below are a couple of reasons I know I was raised as a Filipino-American.

1. Being able to instantly recognize another random Filipino and acting like you're family

C’mon, we’ve all been there. You’re on a family vacation and you see your mom smiling at another family and both families end up approaching each other. You hear “Filipino ka ba?”, and then you’re off talking about where everyone is from, what they’re doing today, possibly joining each other for lunch later, etc.

2. Filipino Pride

Why am I writing this article? Well because I have pride. I have never ever ever met a Filipino who said that they dislike being Filipino. We were raised to love the Philippines, to love our roots, because no matter what, being Filipino runs through our veins.

4. Food

I didn’t realize it till I came to college, but wow Filipino food is so good compared to the two star (at most) dorm food. Adobo, champorado, siopao, kaldereta—the list goes on and on.

5. Karaoke

After the Manny Pacquiao fight is over, you know the party goes from a Manny Pacquiao party to a karaoke party. Hook up that Magic Sing and get ready to perform your heart out in front of all your family and friends. Confession: I have never gotten a perfect score :’-(

6. Jollibee

I know this also goes under food, but I love Jollibee so much that it gets its own category. Before the two new Jollibees in Illinois opened up, I had traveled from the Midwest to New York, Las Vegas, California, and Texas during family vacations to get the coveted Chickenjoy. (I’m a big fan of the spicy-licious chicken).

7. Dedication

Growing up as a Filipino-American, I’ve always been proud of the determination for Filipinos to be able to take care of one another and provide support for their families. No one in the family gets left behind. Many Filipino-Americans today work their butts off because they know that life back home can be kind of a struggle in what is considered (not in my opinion) to be a third-world country. When I look at another Filipino, the most apparent quality I see is a person who works hard.

8. Being a FILIPINO-AMERICAN

There’s a reason why Filipino is in all caps. It’s because I’m proud. I’m proud to be Filipino because that means I come from a beautiful country, one that works hard to survive, to thrive, and to enjoy life with the people they hold close to them. I’m proud to be caring, intelligent, dedicated, talented, strong, food-loving, persevering and most importantly Filipino. Being Filipino encompasses all these traits and much more.

There’s a reason why American is also in all caps. It means I’ve been given the opportunity to start a legacy here in America. As a first-generation college student, I have been given the motivation and the chance from my parents to be able to succeed here in the US. My parents could have raised me in the Philippines, but chose for me to live a better life in the US, so they raised me here. I’m thankful, and I am proud to be a Filipino-American.