One of 15 fellows selected for Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Masterclass with filmmaker Haile Gerima to create art that informs and disrupts (2021).

One of 12 Screenwriting Fellows selected for a week-long retreat to develop writing craft and form community at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2023).

One of twelve writers selected to develop an Episodic Fiction series. Serial Storytellers is a 10-week intensive artist development program from Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) for diverse emerging writers and future showrunners between the ages of 18-25 (2021).

One of five of Swinburne University’s ‘Experimental Film Production’ students selected for the festival in Melbourne, Australia (2018).

One of four creators selected to be featured in Detester Magazine’s Pride Month spotlight (2021).

One of 8 creatives spotlighted in Loisse Ledres’ series on building new and liberated paths forward after the pandemic (2021).

Facilitated a presentation for Asian American Sexualities class about storytelling and queer Filipina identity (2022).

Led discussion and activity for Filipinx creatives about challenging traditional narrative models (2022).

This is where I was born. The Philippines is my ancestral homeland and will always be a part of me no matter where I am in the world. I’m incredibly proud to be a Filipina.

Though my connection to this place has weakened, it still represents my childhood and my roots. I’m now trying to bridge that gap and reconnect with the lost years.

This is where I came of age. From age 5 - 17, this is what I called home. It was where I mingled with other immigrants and made my first film. I always wanted to leave this place because it felt too slow, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate its humility and community.

All said and done, this is the place that has made me who I am.

This is where I grew into myself. SF was the first place I became independent and took on experiences without worrying about a curfew. I made films with creative people, embraced my culture and sexuality, and ate lots of good food.

The living costs unfortunately made it impossible to stay. But it would be a dream to live here again.

This is where I began again. I decided to study abroad because I wanted to go somewhere where no one knew who I was - a reset of sorts. I was scared as hell but the result was more than I imagined. I felt at ease and for the first time in a long time, very happy. My worldview changed significantly as I met people from all over the world.

Australia is now another home for me. It has shown me how much more there is of the world to explore.