Q&A

Pronouns?

He/Him

Universities?

The University of California, Berkeley and The University of Washington, Seattle.

How many years have you worked in the space industry?

I have about 15 years of professional work experience in liquid rocket engines, solid rocket motors, air-breathing turbine engines, and suborbital and orbital rocket vehicles.

Tell us about your background, where you grew up, and a little bit about your journey to where you are today. 

I am Filipino-American, born and raised in Sacramento, CA and a son proudly born to immigrant parents.  Mom and Dad left the Philippines for the United States in the 80s to escape government corruption and economic turmoil in search of opportunity and a better future for their own.  They settled in California where they had me and my three older sisters.  By growing up in an Asian immigrant household, I came to better understand the value of community, education, and hard work.  Mom and Dad did not have much when they grew up, sharing stories with me of when they would put cardboard in their holey overworn shoes just to have something to walk in, and it was no different when they moved overseas to start their new lives in the US.  With their college education, work ethic, and Filipino community around them, however, they managed to build successful careers (Mom in Public Sector Financial Auditing and Dad in Private Sector Nuclear Engineering) to provide my siblings and me a warm and loving home, strong family ties, and our college education.  When I was younger, I always wanted to be an Engineer, not because I really knew what it was, but because I wanted to be like Dad.  I discovered how much I enjoyed Math and Science in school, so I decided to pursue Engineering in college.  Eventually, I found the interesting and fun world of Materials Science that had set my life course since, building my own career in Materials Engineering.  Never had I ever thought that I would work on such interesting and exciting projects in my own professional career, nor have the chance to work on rockets while leading others to do the same. 

What made you want to work in the space industry?

The mission of the space industry is bold and difficult, and that is what makes it interesting!  What better way to spend my time than to be with other bright-minded people developing space-faring technologies to better our Earth and the future of humanity?  It has been a privilege to be part of a movement to make space more accessible to the human race.

What are some obstacles or challenges you've had to overcome that have contributed to where and who you are today? How does your identity influence how you navigate your life?

Accepting my Filipino cultural heritage and homosexual identity were surely some of my hurdles.  Like other First-Gens growing up in the US, I found myself at odds between celebrating my origins and assimilating/conforming to American cultures just to fit in.  And growing up in a conservative immigrant (and very religious) household, being gay at a young age did not seem to be much of an option.  How I dressed, what I brought for lunch, how I spoke, and even how I carried myself became targets in the classroom and on the playground.  Microaggressions stemming from my identity were (and continue to be) real.  There was a mold set by society that I blindly subscribed to, defining what success looked like, and it certainly wasn’t me.  For a long time, I wasn’t proud of who I was, rejected my identity longing to be someone else for a sense of belonging.  Maybe it was this pressure and fear from both internal and external sources that made me focus and bury myself in my academic studies as a form of retreat and safe harbor.  It wasn’t until I saw other people around me of diverse backgrounds succeed in their worlds of careers, relationships, and communities that I was inspired to critically question and understand my potential of being me and where I could go: My Filipino parents took large risk moving across the Pacific in search for better lives; my first principle engineer mentor is a woman in a male-dominated field (and she is one of the best in my opinion); and one of the most memorable managers I had was a younger gay woman who took a chance on a shy and quiet Filipino-American trying to find himself in the Midwest.  From these great people and living examples, I had come to discover that I too can go places and be successful all while being my genuine self.  When I embraced who I was despite the fear, I was elated to find love and support from my family, friends, and community of professional peers.  My identity has been and continues to be a source of strength, carrying me to the person I am today.  Now it’s my turn to be an example for both my colleagues and direct reports to show them that they can do the same, too.

Who is your biggest role model?

It took me a long time to see it, but my Mom and Dad are my biggest role models.  Not only do I owe my life to them, but they taught me how to be just as resilient and courageous when it comes to achieving my goals like them.   I love you, Mom and Dad.

What do you want your legacy to be?

To be remembered as an example for others to go and see, to seek understanding, to do what they need, and to do what they want so as to empower them to be the best versions of themselves in whatever they do.