Each day presents multiple opportunities to learn. Today, I learned about the First Quarter Storm, which was an anti-U.S. and anti-Marcos movement that started in the Philippines on January 26, 1970. It involved a series of demonstrations, protests, and and marches against the government from January to March 1970, two years before the Philippines was placed under martial law.

On January 26, 1970, President Ferdinand Marcos gave his State of the Nation address. Tens of thousands protested, gathering to be symbols of what the nation was going really through, not to be defined in a single speech. On January 30 and 31, 1970, another protest occurred where four protestors were killed, hundreds injured, and hundreds arrested in what is now known as the Battle of Mendiola. Until March, violent confrontations continued to break out between protestors and state police.

I reconnected with an admirable friend tonight. They are making moves, having quit their job recently and completing their law school applications. They came from down south in order to meet with admissions people and get assistance and advice right away. Their drive is examplary.

After the applications, they plan to do so much, including traveling to various countries, running 5ks and other long distance events, and just plain taking advantage of what life has to offer.

I met them at the University of California, Davis, years ago and I am lucky to still hear from them every now and then. They left a strong first impression on me. Today, I am even more impressed with them than before.

When one thinks of role models, one can often identify certain characteristics that contribute to them standing out from others. As I considered the many role models in my life, I tried to think of what it was that I admired in them. My list of role models include male and female, young and old, people of all different ethnicities and backgrounds. Their experiences varied as much as their stature, running the gamut of possibilities.

I started to consider the intangibles like charisma, leadership, perseverance, and commitment. While they seemed appropriate, they only partially explained some of my role models. What I finally came up with, the feature that made them stick out in my mind, was heart. All of my role models have a love for their communities and justice and are committed to giving and nurturing. For example, one of my role models truly lives the mnntra that when one gives, they receive a thousand-fold in return. I have personally witnessed them give of themselves so much that they sacrifice their own well-being, financially and physically. Yet each time, countless individuals have come to support them. Another role model of mine believes so much in the power of the youth that they too have risked everything to train, educate, and empower youth. Even a third role model of mine dedicated their entire life to independence and peace. Today he is regarded a national hero and recognized and respected all over the world.

Now, when I think of role models, I will think of heart.

Today, I learned about how the U.S. Department of Education (ED) wants race and ethnicity reported for federal education eligibility and accountability reports by the 2010-11 school year. It is very different from how California has typically handled race and ethnicity data.

Basically, the ED gave guidance that a two-part question should be asked when collecting race and ethnicity data on students or school staff:

• The first part should consist of a question about the respondent’s ethnicity:
  • Hispanic or Latino
  • Not Hispanic or Latino
• The second part asks respondents to select one or more races from the following categories:
  • American Indian or Alaska Native
  • Asian
  • Black or African American
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
  • White

In reporting race and ethnicity, a respondent must answer both parts of the question. The individual will be  reported as one of the following seven groups:

• Hispanic/Latino of any race
• American Indian or Alaska Native
• Asian
• Black or African American
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
• White
• Two or more races

The guidance does not direct groups to disaggregate any of the racial sub-populations. This is unlike in California, where California Government Code Section 8310.5 requires the detailed collection of Asian and Pacific Islander sub-populations.

Basically, as people try to pigeonhole our heritage into seven convenient groups, we are unable to recognize the diversity within them.

One can read more about this on the ED Final Guidance on Maintaining, Collectiong, and Reporting Racial and Ethnic Data to the ED Web page at http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2007-4/101907c.html.

I was pleased to learn that on Wednesday, January 21, 2009, the California Council for the Humanities announced the latest recipients of its California Documentary Grant Award Program. Among the seventeen awardees was Marissa Aroy, a Pinay that grew up in the Delano area.

Her documentary will be entitled The Delano Manongs: The Forgotten Heroes of the United Farm Workers Union (UFW). Her piece will document a small group of Filipino farm labor leaders--including Philip Vera Cruz and Larry Itliong--in Delano, California, who initiatd the great Delano grape strike in 1965 and helped create the UFW. The grape strike catapulted Cesar Chavez into the national spotlight, but the Filipino leaders received little recognition for their efforts. Using animation, archival footage, and interviews with key leaders, participants, and historians, the film tells the gripping story of this forgotten part of labor history.

Ms. Aroy is no stranger to ethnic history, having worked on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) productions Little Manila: Filipinos in California's Heartland and Sikhs in America. I met her at a screening of the Little Manila documentary here in Sacramento. I am glad to know that she is using her career and her craft to advocate for and educate about marginalized groups and history.

I was chatting with a student that attended their first Filipino American Youth Leadership Conference (FAYLC) last summer. They are now a student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the FAYLC came up. They said:

It's so funny, like when I think about FAYLC, I didn't fully understand what was going on and how everything fits together until I got to UCLA. It made sense at FAYLC but I didn't have that passion about all these issues until I got here. I am so happy I went to FAYLC. I mean there are so many things that I learned from just that one weekend. I find myself constantly thinking about how the stuff I learned in FAYLC applies to the real world. I think about the activities we did like Pusoy'd or the strategies for a successful campaign...or all the other ones and I just realize how I can use that to do other things on campus. On Thursday, the committee I'm involved in was talking about LGBT (lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender) issues and I told them what we did during FAYLC. It turned out to be something Samahang Board might want to do with one of their general meeings. I have friends asking me to help with Pilipino Youth Empowerment Day (PYED)--it's like another conference for high school students--because I went to FAYLC and I have more experience on how the workshops are run and what type of things are talked about. I honestly never would have thought that I'd be taking so much from FAYLC and applying it to my life here. Thank you for really making such a big impact by hosting FAYLC. It means so much to me. FAYLC is something I would definitely love to be involved in again. I would love to give back to younger generations.

I responded that I could not take credit for the event because I just did logistics. The programming and implementation was all thanks to the Philippine National Day Association (PNDA) and a wonderful and dedicated group of organizers and counselors. Still, I take pride in being even remotely involved in such an impactful event--to be a part of something larger than me.

Another individual came to learn that I transferred to another Division within the California Department of Education (CDE). They commented that my new Division was very lucky to have me, asking if I reminded them how lucky they are. This certainly bolstered my own confidence, as this compliment was not solicited. I am flattered by people's confidence in me, as unfounded as it is.

I have so much to learn and growing to do. Many people have recently told me that they hope they soon find out what they want to do with their lives. I respond that it is okay not to know what one wants to do with their lives, especially right out of college. Our lives are organic, and our paths change with each piece of knowledge obtained and experience lived. While we may not always get what we want, we do find that we get exactly what we need.

I often find myself stretched thin and overcommitted. It is difficult for me to deny someone's request. Maybe it is due to my own overconfidence in my abilities or a lack of understanding of my own limitations. It is typical of me to sacrifice something personal for others.

Today, I was nominated to become the President of the Veterano Assistance Center (VAC). While flattered that I would be considered, I am awfully busy and am not sure if I can serve the VAC well. Other people were declining their nominations for justified reasons.

The Veterano issue is one that I have known about for over a decade. While there has been a prolonged effort to rectify the situation, the ultimate goal has not been reached. Piecemeal legislation has passed and implemented to better the situation, yet the error has not been corrected.

I said then, as I say now, "There is no such thing as partial equity. FULL EQUITY NOW!

My cousin and his wife welcomed into the family a healthy baby boy, their fourth child. It is certainly a blessing to bring and nurture a new life into the world, not to mention a challenge. Parenting is the most honorable profession and many people go into it without training or assistance. With all the research that is available regarding child development and learning, it would be helpful if this information could be transmitted to new and old parents alike.

It is about learning, which happens all throughout our lifetimes. As soon as we stop learning, we stop growing and developing, and we may as well start dying.