Introduction & Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! by Rob Manansala

-

Introduction & Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! May 2020 Aloha! 

My name is Rob Manansala, and this is my introduction! I was born in the Philippines, and my background is mixed with Filipino, Japanese, and Thai! 

My family and I moved here to California back in October 2000, and ever since then I grew up here in Silicon Valley - Bay Area! I actually have 2 first names “Rob” and “Michael,” but feel free to call me anything! 

Rob, Robby, or Michael, it doesn’t really matter for me! I am a Senior here at Menlo College, hoping to graduate in May 2021! My major is Business Management with a concentration in Human Resources, and I am looking forward to finishing up all my upper division and HR courses this final coming year. I went back to school this past Spring 2020 semester, and it feels great to finally get back on track to finish up my bachelor’s degree. However, because of the pandemic breakout with COVID-19, the online transition was something that I had to learn to adapt to. I personally prefer in-class teaching, with face-to-face interaction in real time and in the same physical space with everyone, but the “ZOOM” format proves to be an acceptable tool in today’s technological era. For the brief “in-person” activities, I was a part of the FilipinoAmerican, Ping Pong, Tech, and HR Clubs on campus, and it was so cool to meet and get to know other people on campus through club activities and events! Personally, I am a “hands-on” learner-type person. Whether it’s through watching a person do a certain method, or reading a well-scripted manual, or even on-the-job vocal instructions - as long as I can perform the action right away with proper guidance, that is how I can retain the “most” knowledge. Of course, I would still need to practice, and sometimes I need to motivate myself! 



https://hopclear.com/community-comes-together-to-help-gilroy-donut-house-after-tragedy/ 


 To recognize Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I would like to highlight a local donut shop close to where I live in Gilroy. “Gilroy Donut House” is an Asian-Family-Owned Business run by the Hok family, and they have been serving the Gilroy community for more than 20 years. Not only has the business been impacted by the pandemic, but the immediate family has been struck with tragedy this year. Husband and wife, Mr. Sreng and Mrs. Soktea Hok, are facing major health problems, and their daughter, Kim, recently passed away. The Gilroy community has rallied to help out this grieving Asian family, and this week, we have raised over $100,000 to help pay for their medical and family expenses. Even through this tough and challenging time for the family, Gilroy Donut House is still serving our community, and I would like to honor the Hok family here on my introductory paper. 



 This is Mrs. Soktea on the left, Kim in the middle, and Mr. Sreng on the right.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Virtual Island: Contemplating Cultural Disruption

-
Image
Menlo College's  Lit 306: literature of Hawaii & The Pacific is happy to announce the Virtual Island’s November issue, Contemplating Cultural Disruption. Here at the VI, we are deeply appreciative of it’s first video interviews created for the zine, by Chara Higaki and Jadalee Takara. Their pixelated profundity shares the November issue with more student generated works that explore the themes of, conservation, reclamation, preservation and perpetuation.  
Read more

Homestead Lands by Christian Paet of Waimanalo, Hawaii

-
Image
Homestead Lands  by Christian Paet  Waimanalo, Hawaii  The Hawaiian homestead is the land that was given to the Hawaiian peo- ple through the Hawaiian Homes Commission act of 1920, which was made by the US congress to to protect and improve the lives of the Native Hawaiian peo- ple. The Hawaiian Homestead to me is home. My family acquired land in Waimanalo in the 1940ʻs and have been living there ever since. The homestead lands are extremely important not only to me but all native Hawaiian people. This essay will explain the history and functionality of the Hawaiian homelands along with the impact to the Hawaiian people and the state. Also what the homestead means to me and my family through stories of what it was like growing up there. The lands are controlled and regulated by the Hawaiian Homes Commis- sion Act of 1920, The act created a Hawaiian Homes Commission to administer certain public lands, called Hawaiian home lands, for homesteads. In order to ob- tain the la...
Read more

The Pacific Island Fight Against Eurocentric Hegemony by Joseph Kohlhase of Auckland, New Zealand

-
Image
The Pacific Island Fight Against Eurocentric Hegemony   Joseph Kohlhase Auckland, New Zealand Hegemony is defined as: leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, especially among smaller nations, through aggression or expansionism. Hegemony is rooted in ideology and is achieved through those in power who institute and influence the values, norms, ideas, expectations, worldview, and behaviors of their society to reflect the majority and dominant culture. Moving to America from New Zealand three years ago, I have been able to see firsthand the dogma that cultural hegemony breeds. Whilst I have not seen the extremes that many individuals face on a daily basis, I have been subjected to the expectation that my worldly beliefs are wrong, and that I must change the way I dress, speak and act to fit American Eurocentric standards. Although there is hegemonic influence in New Zealand, moving to the United States, opened my eyes wider to the everyday adversi...
Read more