Before you get to my work…
My stories are often born from questions I have about myself, my relationships, and the world around me. I’m fascinated by the ways larger systems, societal or familial, influence our relationships and ambitions.
The intentions behind my work are rooted in curiosity and liberation. This is because, as a 1.5 generation queer Filipina-American, alterity was a constant that pushed me to search for new ways of living and connecting. In the path towards liberation, through character and narrative structure, I actively investigate every detail, especially my own complicity, in the very systems I am questioning.
Whatever form that takes, from short films to a television series, exploring the tension between who we are vs. who we have to be is the foundation of the stories I want to tell.
A Better Future
a coming-of-age drama series centering on Mae Tolentino, a straight-A high school Junior who’s always chasing after success.
Developed with BAVC Media (2021) and Lambda Literary (2023).
The Smart Kids Don’t Know
an essay about growing up in the American education system.
a Pushcart Prize nominee (2023).
For Jude
a poem made in collaboration with Swinburne University’s graduate short film “Jude”.
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With a 1% admission rate, one of 18 participants selected for the 2025 Writers’ Access Support Staff Training Program.
The program aims to provide writers who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, writers with disabilities, and writers over the age of 50, with tools and education to become writing support staff.
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One of 15 fellows selected for ARRAY’s inaugural masterclass series, LIBERATED TERRITORY: A MASTERCLASS BY HAILE GERIMA: a 6-day intensive and interactive workshop to explore the catalyst of storytelling and a story’s structure crafted from one’s personal narrative accent.
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One of 12 Screenwriting Fellows selected for a week-long retreat to develop writing craft, form community, and perform a live reading of our work.
Featured in Lambda Literary’s mini documentary about the retreat.
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Facilitated a creative storytelling workshop with Filipinx Arts Collective, Tagalikha.
How can we, as Filipinx creatives, tell our stories when traditional narrative models don’t always serve us? Through the medium of television, we will explore how we can challenge norms in our creative practice, seek out alternative patterns, and reshape narratives in our image - ones that are unapologetically ourselves and the world as we know it.