An Award for Community
It’s funny that after all my years of living and performing in big cities and on big stages around the world—London, Berlin, New York City and Los Angeles—it was living here on our little island that gave me the platform for a global award.
I was honored and humbled to be nominated as one of the 25 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World by an incredible organization, the Filipina Women’s Network. This felt unbelievable to me. There are millions of incredible, accomplished Filipina women and the title seemed well beyond anything I deserved. But as the nomination process began, it became clear that being awarded was not just about a title and a trophy, but a commitment to creating change in the world and in communities. They called it a “working” award.
Question after question, I was surprised that I wasn’t asked about my accomplishments as a performer, but instead about community—about the Asian Arts and Heritage Festival that I founded two years ago, about the community boards I’m involved in, and most of all, about my two-year global pitch: a multi-city tour of my show “The Asian Monologues,” a collection of true Asian American stories told theatrically, which I created as part of the Asian Arts and Heritage Festival. The project was meant to begin in our local community, then reach out around the world.
I’m happy to say that it was this pitch—and my love and passion for connecting culture and art in this community—that turned my nomination into an award win.
It’s not always the bright lights, big cities and grand stages that bring us the spotlight—sometimes, it’s simply community.
