Filipinos have been in the United States since the 16th century, yet many of their stories remain untold. For the past year, Positively Filipino has been running a series on notable Filipino Americans who have made their marks in this country. There are hundreds, or maybe even thousands more, that need to be added to this story, and we need your help. If you know of a Filipino American who deserves to be included in this line-up, please send us their names and any supporting documents you may have to pfpublisher@yahoo.com. For now, we are including only those who are currently active and visible in the media and the community, regardless of their religious, sexual or political orientation. Thank you.

Dr. Jessica De Leon, Neurologist

De Leon received her undergraduate degrees in neuroscience and Spanish at the Johns Hopkins University and an MD with thesis degree at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She then completed a medicine internship and neurology residency at UCSF, where she served as chief resident. She is currently an assistant professor at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center (MAC), where she focuses on care of patients with cognitive decline and dementia, including primary progressive aphasia, frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's dementia. She also evaluates participants through the UCSF Dyslexia Center and sees patients at the Geriatrics Neurology Center at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. De Leon is a member of the ALBA Language Neurobiology Lab. She studies how bilingualism, language background, and genetics affect the symptoms of language disorders, using primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and dyslexia as models. She also has an interest in the socioeconomic factors that influence dementia care.

Cirian Villavicencio, Commissioner

Cirian Villavicencio *(Source: California Commission on Asian American and PaciFic Islanders)*

Villavicencio is a professor and the chair of the Department of Political Science at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California. He interned for the late Congressman Tom Lantos, served on the Sacramento County Democratic Central Committee, and was elected as a state delegate twice to the California Democratic State Convention in 2009-10 and in 2016-18. He served as chair of CAPIAA in 2015-26 where he helped pass data disaggregation legislation for Asian American Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander communities and helped advocate for Filipino WWII Veterans to receive the Congressional Gold Medal (his grandfather was a Filipino WWII veteran). He also co-founded the Empowering Positive Initiatives for Change (EPIC) learning community that serves AAPI students on campus.

Deidre Siguenza, School Board Member

Diedre Siguenza *(Source: Patton Trial Group)*

Siguenza was a successful candidate for Martinez Unified School District Board in the 2018 election. She is a partner at the Northern California/Bay Area Offices of Patton Trial Group. With over 20 years of litigation experience specializing in insurance defense, she has represented individuals, common centers, private businesses, and government entities. She has successfully conducted jury trials in Northern and Southern California. She received her law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law.

Jennifer Chang, Director

Chang is a faculty member at University of California San Diego’s Theater and Dance Department. She is also a professional actor. Her mother’s family is from General Trias, Cavite while her father’s family is from Jolo, Sulu in Mindanao, by way of China. She grew up speaking, Tagalog, Bisaya, Tausug, and Hokkien. When the family immigrated to the U.S., they settled in Daly City, California. She studied psychology and drama at New York University before taking up a master’s in acting at University of California, San Diego. Chang directed Chalk Repertory Theater’s Death and Cockroaches” and East West Players’ Vietgone for which she received the Best Director citation from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle in 2018. She also developed an audio play series in 2021 that focused on Los Angeles’ unsung landmarks, produced by Chalk Repertory Theater, which Chang co-founded, and the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs.

Hildegarde Aguinaldo, Lawyer

Hildegarde Aguinaldo *(Source: LinkedIn)*

Aguinaldo has been reappointed to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, where she has served since 2018 and currently serves as Vice President. She has been Assistant General Counsel at DaVita Inc. since 2020 and was Senior Corporate Counsel there from 2018 to 2020. She is Vice President of the Calbright College Board of Trustees, where she has served since 2018. Aguinaldo earned a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. Aguinaldo currently serves as Director and Corporate Counsel for DaVita, Inc., a Fortune 200® firm and the parent company of DaVita Kidney Care, a leading provider of dialysis services. She is an active member of the company’s Diversity & Inclusion and Pro Bono committees. In 2018, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. appointed Aguinaldo to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the nation, serving over 2.1 million students across 114 campuses. In 2013, Governor Brown appointed her to the California Acupuncture Board, where she was elected President and appointed Chairperson of its Enforcement Committee. Aguinaldo served as President of the Philippine American Bar Association (PABA), sharpening its efforts to advance judicial diversity and to promote civic engagement.

Zeny Windham, Lumpia Lady

Zeny Windham *(Source: Monterey County Weekly)*

With her daughter, Chelsey, Windham introduces locals in Monterey County to the diverse flavors of the Philippines, starting with Filipino favorite, the lumpia (egg roll). She also serves adobo, pancit (noodles), and halo-halo (mix of shaved ice and sweet beans and fruits) at the farmers’ market. Windham says she learned the recipes from her father while growing up in San Marcelino, Zambales, Philippines.

Abi Balingit, Cookbook Author

Abi Balingit *(Source: x.com, formerly known as Twitter)*

When the pandemic started her lonely work-from-home life in 2020, Abi Balingit channeled all her energy into the one thing that brought her joy: baking. In her tiny, dimly lit, shared kitchen, she produced hundreds of pasalubong (souvenir) boxes filled with creative treats that blended the Filipino and Western-style baked goods she grew up with. She’d sell out within hours each time, donating the proceeds to support people in need in her community. Her favorite dessert recipes are now in a baking book called, Mayumu (which means “sweet”) and includes never-before-seen dishes like Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookie, Strawberry Shortcake Sapin-Sapin, Ube Macapuno Molten Lava Cake, Matcha Pastillas, Melon Chicharron Crumble, and Halo-Halo Baked Alaska. Accompanying essays trace Abi’s heritage and self-discovery introducing the flavors and experiences that have shaped her life, from her parents’ birthplace in Pampanga, Philippines to California where she grew up and went to school, and now her new home in Brooklyn, New York.

Kaitlyn Marie Reclusado, Taekwondo Gold Medalist

Kaitlyn Marie Reclusado *(Source: Team USA)*

Last October, Reclusado secured USA Taekwondo’s first gold medal in Santiago, Chile. “It’s still unreal,” she said after taking a moment to collect her emotions. “At the same time, I’m so glad to b e the start of something that’s going to be great.” A native of Daly City, California, Reclusado was drawn to poomsae early in her taekwondo career. Her discipline favors art and technique over the traditional sparring that fans might see during an Olympic Games. It is a showcase of precision, accuracy, and mental focus. “I like the dynamics of it,” she explained referring to poomsae. “Even though sparring is very strategic, to poomsae, there is an art. There is a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. And I think whoever trains harder, it shows on the mat.” A two-time US National Champion, Reclusado is in her second year at Princeton University where she hopes to earn her degree while still competing for Team USA.

J.R. De Guzman, Comedian

J.R. De Guzman *(Source: jrdeguzman.com)*

Born in the Philippines and raised in California, De Guzman began performing comedy while working as a music teacher, quickly learning that it just meant teaching Taylor Swift songs to teenagers. He has entertained all over the world, having performed for Stand-Up Tokyo and ROR Comedy in Japan, the Jokers Ball in Indonesia, the Badaboom Comedy Series in Amsterdam, and countless other international shows. Combining music and comedy, JR serenades the audience into laughter with songs, jokes, and stories. The winner of 2016 Stand-up NBC and named a prestigious "New Face" at Just for Laughs 2017, you can catch his quarter-hour Netflix special on The Comedy Lineup. You can also see him on Comedy Central's Kevin Hart Presents: Hart of the City. Check out his debut album on Sirius XM Radio's Laugh's USA. which debuted #1 on iTunes and Billboard. De Guzman has spent the last decade making headway ever since his 2014 set at Crest Theatre, Sacramento went viral on YouTube. Even before fellow Fil-Am Jo Koy achieved mainstream success, De Guzman was making a name for himself as a Filipino American comic.

Read Anthony Maddela’s profile of J.R. here: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/jr-de-guzman-shows-filipinos-are-truly-funny

Elaine Antonio Bordeaux, Lawyer and Sculptor

Bordeaux is a Filipina American lawyer and sculptor based in Colorado. She is an immigrant advocate and lawyer and a multi-talented visual artist. She is the President and Executive Director of the Dr. Jose Rizal Legacy International Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission of promoting Philippine arts, culture, and History. Elaine is a member of good standing of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 2008. She founded her own immigration law firm in 2008. In her 15 years of law practice in the United States, she successfully represented hundreds of human trafficking victims and Filipino workers hurt by violations of labor laws. She is a volunteer lawyer of the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network where she helps child immigrants from war-torn countries like Ukraine and Afghanistan.

Source: Google and Wikipedia

The Magazine

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 55