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.

Phoebe Cates, Actor

Phoebe Cates with husband Kevin Kline (Source; People / Photo by Kevin Mazur)

Cates is of mixed European and Asian descent. Her mother was born in Shanghai, China to a family of Chinese-Filipino heritage while her father is American from Manhattan. She started as a teen model and moved on to acting. Some of her films include Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Gremlins, Private School, Drop Dead Fred, Paradise and Princess Caraboo, her last film before she shifted from acting to raising her children. It was in 1983, auditioning for a role in The Big Chill, Cates met actor Kevin Kline and they married in 1989. They have two children, Owen and Greta, who appeared in the film The Squid and the Whale. Owen is a director, actor and cartoonist while Greta is a musician and singer-songwriter. In 2005, Cates opened a boutique, Blue Tree on New York’s Madison Avenue. The store sells clothes, antiques, jewelry, perfume, candles, art, photography, books, vintage LPs, and stuffed animals.

Savannah Gankiewicz, Miss Hawaii, Miss USA 2023

Savannah Gankiewicz being crowned Miss USA (Photo by Eric Kabik Photography via AP)

Previously crowned Miss Hawaii USA 2023, Gankiewicz was the first runner-up at Miss USA but took over the title after its original winner, Noelia Voigt, resigned in May 2024 citing struggles with mental health. Gankiewicz became the first woman from Maui to be crowned Miss Hawaii USA in over 20 years and the fifth woman from Hawaii to be crowned Miss USA. Gankiewicz was born on Oahu to parents, Yvienne Tagorda Peterson and Mark Gankiewicz; her mother is from Maui and of Filipina descent, while her father is of Polish and Vietnamese descent. Gankiewicz later moved to the Philippines to model and competed in the Filipino beauty pageant Mutya ng Pilipinas 2017, where she was a finalist and received the title of Mutya ng Pilipinas Overseas Filipino Communities for representing the Filipino Hawaiian community.

Bryan Pangilinan, Composer and Artist

Pangilinan has been active in the Filipino American and arts communities for nearly four decades. He holds degrees in ethnic studies from the University of California, San Diego, and music from San Francisco State University. Trained in Filipino rondalla music by composer and ethnomusicologist Bayani Mendoza de Leon, Bryan served as Music Director with the PASACAT Philippine Performing Arts Company and LIKHA Pilipino Folk Ensemble performing in local, regional, national, and international tours. His compositions and arrangements for rondalla have been performed by Filipino American folk dance companies across California. In the past decade, Bryan has been featured in nearly 20 musical theater productions in the San Francisco Bay Area, most recently as Tatsuo Kimura in the Bay Area premiere of the musical Allegiance. Moreover, he has over 20 years of expertise as a fund development professional with leadership roles at Bindlestiff Studio, United Way of the Bay Area, San Francisco State University, and Earthjustice. In 2017, he was honored by LIKHA for his “contribution and dedication to Philippine cultural arts and traditions” at their 25th anniversary performance of “Karangalan.” His latest work is co-composing the first musical about Filipino American labor leader Larry Itliong entitled, Larry the Musical: An American Journey.

Umami, DJ

DJ Umami was born, raised, and is based in the Bay Area. She is currently a resident DJ for the San Francisco Giants and was a Golden State Warriors DJ from 2012-2021. Her rise in the music industry has included opening sets for Dua Lipa, Anderson Peak, Questlove, Outside Lands, SXSW among others. While R&B, Soul and Hip Hop are foundational to her musical taste, it’s Umami’s ability to read the energy of a crowd and belief in music as healing that allow her to serve an eclectic menu of sounds. As a Filipina American, she hopes to bring more visibility to the craft and inspire the next generation of women DJs.

L. J. Hardwicke, Author

Hardwicke is a 14-year-old author from Gilroy, California who has been interested in creative writing, archery, and theater since she was young. She has also written many poems. She loves to write about fantasy and her favorite books include Lord of the Rings and Narnia. Her first novel, Red Watson and the Gifted Lands, is about a 13-year-old who discovers her past while figuring her present and learns more about herself and the power of courage and trust. “I love how I can completely immerse myself in a unique world I had put out on paper, and even incorporating my experiences into my work has been an absolute joy,” she said. “The feeling of reading a good book or watching a movie that made you feel different was the ultimate goal.”

Aleah Finnegan Cruz, Artistic Gymnast

Aleah Finnegan Cruz *(Source: Tatler Asia)*

LSU junior Finnegan Cruz had the highest-scoring floor routine of the entire 2024 NCAA women's gymnastics semifinals with a score of 9.9625 to earn her the individual floor title. LSU advanced to the national championship meet against Cal, Utah, and Florida. She was a member of the United States Women’s national Gymnastics team from 2019 to 2021 and was part of the team that won gold at the 2019 Pan American Games. She represented the Philippines at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She is the 2023 Asian Championships vault and balance beam bronze medalist and the 2021 Southeast Asian Games team and vault champion. Finnegan Cruz was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Don and Linabelle Finnegan. Her mother was born and raised in the Philippines. She has three sisters. Her father died in August 2019.

Michael Cruz Kayne, Comedian

Filipino American Cruz Kayne is currently a writer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He has won a Peabody Award and a Writers Guild Award. He regularly performs improv with ASSSSCAT, What I Did for Love, and Baby Wants CANDY. Kayne is the founder of The Ally Program, a diversity initiative of The Upright Citizens Brigade that identified talented and motivated UCB students, offering them mentors and free workshops. He performs stand up and improv across New York. He is also the host of the popular monthly show The Exhibition which boasts consistently sold-out crowds at Public Arts. In 2009, he lost his son, Fisher, who was 34 days old. After ten years, Cruz Kayne is finally opening up a dialogue about the layers of grief.

Logan Edra, Breakdancer

Logan Edra aka Logistx *(Source: Yahoo Sports)*

Edra represented the US breaking team at the 2024 Olympic games in Paris. Born and raised in San Diego, California, Edra, was seven when she started breaking. Inspired by local breakers and a b-girl teacher, she learned it is possible to thrive in the male-dominated scene. Given the name “Logistx” by her father, the young breaker gained attention thanks to her high-level power moves. Integrating several genres into her top rock and dance style, she spent time honing her hip-hop and street dance skills with some of California’s most complex and respected choreographers. In 2018 she won the Silverback Open B-Girl solo competition in Philadelphia. Just one year later, she triumphed in the junior breaking 7 to Smoke battle at Singapore's Radikal Forze Jam, before claiming the b-girl championship title at the 2021 Red Bull BC One World Final in Poland. "My relationship with breaking is very spiritual and also very tough,” she says. “There were a lot of traumas and hardships I had to get through as a kid, but when I'm breaking, it helps me find release from those and balance. Breaking was born out of struggle, so I feel at home and like I belong when I'm dancing. When I break, I feel like a superhero. I feel empowered."

Breaking also opened up numerous doors for Logistx, who now runs classes in South Florida to help other dancers. She is also pleased to use her platform to spread awareness about mental health and be able to donate to non-profit and outreach centers.

Jean Judith Zeta Javier, Actress, Singer

Javier is a singer, musical theatre performer and film actor. As a soprano, she sings for opera and musical theatre but never limits her capacity by performing pieces from world arts songs. She learned how to sing at the early age of nine, performing in the church and villages. Coming from a humble beginning, Javier captured the skill of fine singing from her mother, and her sensitivity for arts was nurtured by being deeply connected to the expressive musical cultures of the Philippines, her motherland. She played Sisa in Noli Me Tangere: The Opera, a difficult role. But her portrayal of the most iconic Philippine fictional character, a deranged woman, captured her audience earning her standing ovations and critical acclaim from critics. She has traveled to a number of countries, singing folk and kundiman songs with Sindaw Philippines Performing Arts Guild and the Philippine Department of Tourism.

Jefre Figueras Manuel, Urban Planner and Artist

Jefre Figuera Manuel (Source: Museum Week Magazine)

Manuel, known as Jefre, is a Filipino American visual artist based in Orlando, Florida. He was born and raised in Chicago to Filipino parents who settled in the U.S. in the 1970s. His mother is a nurse from Ilocos Sur while his father is an accountant from San Pedro, Laguna. Both parents had design jobs – his father did landscape contracting and design while his mother created wedding flower arrangements. He initially pursued a degree in medicine. He later took courses at the Art Institute of Chicago and attended Ohio State University to study urban design and planning. He first worked for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in the 1990s. After he had a heart attack at age 35, he decided to set up his own organization, Studio Jefrë (StudioJEFRë), and pursued a career in public art. He did various projects involving community design, public art, parks and plazas, sculpture, temporary installations, interior design, avant-garde landscapes, eco-installations, and campus planning. His works have been on public display in various cities in the United States such as Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Orlando, and San Antonio as well as in London and Abu Dhabi. Jefrë is also the designer of the 15.54 m (51.0 ft) tall The Jax stainless steel sculpture to be built at the former site of Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville, Florida. He has also done works in the Philippines including stainless steel structures of a human figure in SM malls and in Double Dragon Meridian Park.

Source: Google and Wikipedia

The Magazine

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 60