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.

Rodney To, Actor and Professor

Rodney To (Photo courtesy of Rodney To)

Originally from Chicago, Illinois, To is an assistant professor of Theater Practice at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. He recently appeared in Amblin/Universal’s feature film, Easter Sunday with comedian Jo Koy. As an actor, he was most notable in NBC’s Parks and Recreation (2009), Barry (2018), and Good Girls (2018). He graduated from Marquette University and is a founding member of Mr. Miyagi’s Theatre Company. He received the Joseph Jefferson Nomination for The Romance of Magno Rubio in Chicago and was nominated for an LA Ovation Award for his work in A. Rey Pamatmat’s Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them with Artists at Play. As a director, To’s film, Two Weeks, won numerous awards at various festivals across the country. Currently he serves as the Associate Director of the award-winning IAMA Theatre Company in Los Angeles. He was inducted into Chicago’s Filipino American Hall of fame for his work, and he is a staunch advocate for the Asian American community.

Irma Shauf-Bajar, Executive Director, 18 Million Rising

Shauf-Bajar is a Filipino queer grassroots community organizer, movement educator, and trainer dedicated to “building people power and resiliency in communities and movements toward liberation.” She has 15 years experience in grassroots community organizing work and has worked to advance political organizing and power in immigrant, economic, racial justice, LBGTQ+, gender, and social justice movements. She has been a tireless advocate for coalition building and building effective multiracial and multisectoral coalitions on local, national and international levels. Shauf-Bajar is also the current national chairperson of GABRIELA USA, an overseas chapter of GABRIELA Philippines, working to advance the struggle of women in the overall movement for national liberation and genuine democracy in the Philippines. Originally from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, she currently lives in Oakland, California.

Judge Benes Z. Aldana, President, National Judicial College

Judge Benes Z. Aldana (Source: judges.org)

Retired United States Coast Guard captain and military lawyer, Aldana served as the chief Trial Judge of the Coast Guard from June 15, 2016 until his retirement from the military service in 2017. He was the first Asian Pacific American and Filipino American to serve as chief trial judge in U.S. military history. He currently serves as the president of the National Judicial College becoming the first former military judge and second person of color to lead the college. Born in Angeles City, Philippines, he moved with his parents to the United States when he was ten years old. His father was a member of the United States Navy and was stationed in Maryland. Aldana graduated cum laude from Seattle University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He received a J.D. from University of Washington School of Law in 1994. He has received numerous awards for his service in the military and numerous recognitions from other organizations.

Catherine and Chrystle Cu, Inventors of Cocofloss

Catherine and Chrystle Cu (Source: Fast Company)

Older sister Chrystle is a dentist while Catherine left her job in finance and was looking for a meaningful problem to solve. Chrystle grew up in her mother’s dental practice after immigrating from the Philippines. When she started her own career as a general dentist, she was frustrated with the cavities she was seeing, half of them preventable with daily flossing. Even sister Catherine was not flossing! The sisters teamed up to make flossing fun using a “grippy, loofah-like weave of 500+ expanding polyester microfilaments coated with vegan, microcrystalline wax infused with coconut oil, a natural antimicrobial, and enticing aromas.” In 2014, they hand-packed prototypes and sent them to family and friends. The success led them to add more fragrances: Delicious Mint, Fresh Coconut, Pure Strawberry, Summer Watermelon, and Dark Chocolate. It is also packaged with floral prints and iridescent wording and is available in a variety of themed gift sets. Today, Cocofloss is sold in hundreds of retail shops, including Goop, Anthropologie, and Credo Beauty. They have sold more than 5 million spools of floss since their launch. In 2021, they started offering ulra-soft Cocobrush. Every year, they donate to Wildlife Conservation Network to protect different wildlife species. The sisters hope to improve smiles one strand at a time.

Kajo, Rapper and Songwriter

From Spotify: “Genre-bending songwriter, Kajo, took the long road to music, and now, he is writing his own rules. In each of his songs you can hear the kind of intentionality that comes from an artist fine-tuning their craft across years, knowing exactly when to defy expectations and when to offer something comforting and nostalgic. He has a special knack for making familiar strains feel otherworldly – using soft synth, sharp percussion, and syrupy vocals as the fuel for journeys to distant musical planets……Even to the most trained ears, his music will sound like nothing else. Kajo has a foot in the past, sure, but his music feels entirely new.” Kajo has 23,610 monthly listeners on Spotify, and he has released his first album, “Cold Places,” about being young in a high crime area of California. Born in the Philippines but raised in Los Angeles, he studied classical and jazz piano at four years old, then branched out into shoegaze, classic rock, and electronic artists, which inspired him to begin beat-making. He came to fame as a producer and pianist with multiplatinum rapper, Logic. Kajo also takes pride in making music videos that depict the stories he tells in his music. A lot of his music focuses on the different stages of being a young adult and the growing pains that come with it. Kajo is now signed up with Def Jam Recordings.

Michelle Tesoro, Film Editor

Michelle Tesoro (Source: bizjournal.com)

Tesoro is best known for her work on the television miniseries, The Queen’s Gambit, which earned her an ACE Eddie Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. She grew up in Lincoln Park, Illinois with her nurse mother, who is from Ilocos Sur, Philippines, attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and graduated at the Tisch School of the Arts. Her work for the dramedy, Natural Selection, was awarded the prize for best editing at South by Southwest. Tesoro’s versatile slate also includes Focus Features’ biography of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg On the Basis of Sex starring Felicity Jones; Bold Films and Participant Media’s Shot Caller starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau; Netflix’s Emmy-nominated series Godless, directed by Scott Frank, and starring Emmy-winner Jeff Daniels, Michelle Dockery, and Merritt Weaver; and Netflix's Emmy-winning series When They See Us directed by Ava DuVernay. Her advice to up-and-coming editors, especially women of color, is to keep challenging themselves. “Be confident in yourself and what you have to offer,” Tesoro stresses. “You can’t hide what you are, so you might as well be really good at what you do and build a practice of integrity.”

Charles Darwin Magdaluyo, Teacher of the Year

Charles Darwin Magdaluyo (Source: Florida Times-Union)

Magdaluyo, a teacher of human anatomy and physiology for the past seven years, is this year’s Teacher of the Year for Duval County Public Schools. He and four additional finalists were recognized for their accomplishments at The EDDY Awards hosted by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. “Mr. Magdaluyo represents all the outstanding qualities our teachers bring to our classrooms every day,” Superintendent Diana Greene said in a news release. “The first thing you notice is his energy and his enthusiasm for student success. Then you see the outstanding quality of his teaching craft, particularly the way he individualizes instruction to reach every student." Originally from the Philippines, Magdaluyo almost didn't become a teacher. His parents wanted him to become a doctor, and he went as far as taking medical board exams. He passed, but told his parents he couldn't shake his desire to teach. So they compromised: he could teach human anatomy. Magdaluyo launched professional learning communities within Duval Schools to help other international teachers become familiarized with teaching in Jacksonville. He also served as a training facilitator and mentor for science teachers throughout the district. “What inspires me as an educator is my students' success stories," he said. "Every ‘ah-ha!’ moment, every smiling face whenever they understand something they thought was difficult, every time they take a risk to do something in front of the class to show they can also do what other students can do — these are things that don't just inspire me but drive me to do better day by day.”

Lt. Cmdr. Alden Argante, Commander of Dynamic

Manila-born Argante took command of the floating dry-dock Dynamic (AFDL 6) during the change of command ceremony at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center last January 28, 2022. He succeeded Lt. Cmdr. Gaston Hatfield Jr. of Wyoming County, West Virginia. The Dynamic has been in service for 78 years, and it has been the only Navy operated AFDL in commission since 2011. In 1966, Argante enlisted in the Navy as a Gas Turbine Systems Electrical Technician. He advanced to Chief Petty Officer in 2004 and selected in 2007 to the Limited Officer Duty Officer Program. Argante’s recent assignments include being the Main Propulsion Assistant aboard USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), Electrical Officer aboard USS Bataan (LHD 5), and as Chief Engineer aboard USS Sentry (MCM 3) forward deployed to Manama, Bahrain. The Fil-Am commanding officer was also the Engineering Inspector at the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV), Engineering Assessor and Project Officer at Engineering Assessment Atlantic (EAA), and the Chief Engineer onboard USS Wasp (LHD 1).

Robert Alonzo, Stunt Coordinator

Robert Alonzo, whose father is from Cagayan and whose mother is from Tarlac, is a stuntman, martial artist, and stunt coordinator who worked as 2nd Unit Stunt Coordinator and Fight Choreographer for Stunt Coordinator Joey Box on J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. Alonzo created the Romulan fight moves as well as the fight scene on the drill platform. He started with a passion for animation at the age of six, then began training for martial arts with his brother. He earned his BA degree in Studio Arts and Communication Studies, minor in Animation and Business Marketing, at Loyola Marymount University. He has accumulated over 200 credits in film, television, commercials, and music videos, and has worked extensively with A-list talents like Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Dwayne Johnson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, and many more. Alonzo combines his “creative storytelling ability with his wide array of live action filmmaking techniques, coupled with his broad knowledge to today’s use of visual/special effects to provide unforgettable action that spans a variety of genres.” At the request of Brad Pitt, he worked on Incredibles 2 to help formulate character driven action that displays the physics of live action filmmaking. His recent credits include training Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz for their fight scenes in the latest The Batman. Alonzo hopes to be directing not only action films, but also crime thrillers and historical biopics soon.

Luella Costales, Member, Hawaii House of Representatives

Rep. Luella Costales (Source: Honolulu Civil Beat)

Costales is a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives. She was appointed to represent the 39th district after incumbent Rep. Ty Cullen resigned in February 2022 after pleading guilty to federal bribery charges. She previously served as executive director of the Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau Federation and the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu. She was previously the director of fund development for the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific and currently works as the community and resource manager for the Oahu Economic Development Board. Costales was appointed to the Honolulu Police Commission in 2012 by Mayor Peter Carlisle. She resigned in 2017 in protest over a lack of gender, ethnic, and work background diversity on a consultant-selected panel reviewing candidates for a new police chief to replace Louis Kealoha. She also serves as a member in multiple committees: the FBI Honolulu Citizens Academy Alumni Association, WWII Filipino Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Committee, Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project as well as the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation.

Kurtis Townsend, Basketball Coach

Kurtis Townsend (Source: Courier-Journal)

The Filipino American Townsend is the brother of former NBA player Raymond Townsend. He is currently assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Kansas. He was an assistant on the Jayhawks 2007-2008 and 2021-22 NCAA National Championship Team. He is a graduate of Western Kentucky University where he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation. Townsend traces his roots to Batangas where his maternal grandmother was born. Having encountered challenges along with victories in his lengthy coaching career, Townsend said it was a relief to have someone like family to lean on. In an interview with Philstar, he said, "I would say that was the one thing my mom and her mom really instilled in us all, how important family is and that there was nothing more important than that. You know, when it came to life, that's who you're gonna have in your corner and really that's how it's been for me," he said. "I'm just really lucky to have been born into the family that I was born into…I get messages after games, and it makes my heart full that I grew up in a Filipino family that had so much love around it," he continued.

Kathy Lai, Accounting Wizard

Prior to freelancing, Kathy was a director at a middle market investment bank where she spent six years advising companies on M&A transactions. Her responsibilities included preparing companies for sale, drafting investor materials, conducting financial analyses, contacting potential acquirers, facilitating due diligence, and negotiating deal terms. Kathy became a freelancer to obtain greater flexibility and work-life balance. With over 22 years of public accounting experience, she has provided assurance services to large complex governmental entities, transportation entities, retirement systems, higher education institutions, school districts, utilities and not-for-profit organizations. Her experience includes leading the audits of the largest top 10 cities and counties in California and Nevada, the largest California Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), transit providers and tollways, the largest water district and the largest public university system in the country. As one of the few Filipina executives in public accounting and a proud working mother of two young daughters, she is particularly passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). To bridge the divide of gender and ethnic diversity, she actively serves on the Women Leading at Crowe Council, furthering gender equity for women professionals and on the Crowe Audit DE&I Council. Lai is also Chair of the Board for the International Society of Filipinos in Finance and Accounting (ISFFA), an organization she helped found to educate, assist, and mentor Filipinos in finance and accounting, to help Filipinos acquire leadership skills and confidence to achieve their highest aspirations in their chosen industries globally and in the US.

Ken Ibarra, International Director, Lions International

For 22 years, architect Ken Ibarra served on the San Bruno City Council. During his tenure, the City of San Bruno adopted redevelopment and turned 20 acres of surplus federal land into much needed housing and a new BART station adjacent to the Tanforan Shopping Center. As a member of the San Mateo County Transit Authority, he helped secure funding for the electrification of Caltrain and the current construction of the Highway 101 HOV lanes. Ibarra has also been an active member of Lions Clubs International, joining the San Bruno Lions Club in 1992. He served as club president in 1998 and in 2008 he was elected Vice District Governor for Lions District 4-C4,which included 45 clubs and over 1,200 members. In 2010 Ibarra was elected District Governor, one of 15 in the State of California. Ibarra has been instrumental in leadership development for Lions and has served on the statewide leadership committee and is responsible for mentoring and training over 500 Lions members. In 2020, during the virtual international convention, Ibarra was elected International Director to serve a two-year term. Lions International has 34 directors serving worldwide (11 in the US) and representing over 1.4 million members in over 200 countries. Ibarra is the first international director of the San Francisco area since 1960 and is the first Filipino American to be elected international director.

Source: Google and Wikipedia

The Magazine

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 37