I can be both.

I think I became conscious of being Filipino through the everyday experiences of growing up in my family and community. It wasn't necessarily one particular moment.

My parents introduced me to Filipino folk dance when I was four years old, and that became a really important part of my upbringing.

I also remember travelling from Canberra to Sydney with my parents to attend Grand Fiesta Kultura. At the time, there weren't Filipino restaurants in Canberra. Those road trips, exploring the restaurants in Blacktown, Sydney, and the time we spent at Filipino events are memories I still carry with me.

Looking back, I realise how much those experiences shaped my connection to our culture.

Being Filipino was also in the food we ate, the way we interacted with our family, the respect we had for our elders, and the importance of community. It was in the way my parents raised me and the values they passed on.

Things I might have taken for granted as a child now feel like important parts of my heritage that I want to preserve.

Growing up in Australia, I was surrounded by Australian life, but my Filipino identity was always a very natural part of who I was. I never felt that I had to discover it later in life.

I've actually never questioned whether I was Filipino enough.

Growing up in Australia, I always felt very connected to being Filipino. In some ways, I felt more Filipino than Australian, although I also came to recognise that I understood the Australian way of life because that's the environment I grew up in.

I think part of that experience comes from growing up in Australia and being visibly Filipino. There were times when I became conscious of how I looked and how that shaped the way people saw me. But I never felt that I had to prove my Filipino identity or question whether I belonged to it.

As I've grown older, I've come to understand that being Filipino-Australian doesn't have to mean choosing one identity over the other.

I can be both.

I can understand Australian culture and the way of life I grew up with, while also being deeply connected to my Filipino heritage, my family and my community.

For me, being Filipino isn't measured by how much Tagalog I speak, how often I visit the Philippines, or whether I fit a particular expectation of what it means to be Filipino.

It's also about the values I've inherited, the relationships I maintain and the way I choose to carry my heritage forward.

A very visible example of this is introducing the gesture of ‘mano po’ to my extended family.

I've realised that our heritage isn't only something we preserve by remembering the past. We preserve it through what we do in the present.

Our heritage isn't only something we preserve by remembering the past. We preserve it through what we do in the present.

Whether that's supporting our communities, celebrating our culture, helping the next generation or making sure people who are often overlooked are remembered, those actions become part of the story we leave behind.

I've also learned more about myself.

I think I always had a strong sense of responsibility and a desire to serve, but this journey has helped me understand that my Filipino identity is one of the ways I express those values.

My heritage isn't separate from the person I am or the work I choose to do. It is part of what motivates me.

If there's one thing I'd want the next generation to carry with them, it's the value of community and the understanding that we have a responsibility to look after one another.

I think one of the beautiful things about Filipino culture is the way family and community are so deeply connected. It's the way we show up for one another, celebrate each other's milestones, support each other through difficult times and make people feel that they belong.

I want the next generation to experience that same sense of connection. I want them to know where they come from, to be proud of their heritage and to understand that their identity is something they can carry with confidence, wherever life takes them.

But I also want them to understand that preserving our culture is about more than food, dance, language or traditions, as important as those things are.

It's about the values behind them.

It's the respect we show our elders, the generosity we extend to others, the importance of family, and the willingness to serve without expecting anything in return.

I think about my parents and grandparents and the example they've set for me.

So much of who I am has come from watching them serve, sacrifice and care for others. Those are the things I want to carry forward.