FilAms Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 74

Filipinos have been in the United States since the 16th century, yet many of their stories remain untold. For the past years, Positively Filipino has been running a series on notable Filipino Americans who have made their marks in this country. There are hundreds, or maybe even thousands more, that need to be added to this story, and we need your help. If you know of a Filipino American who deserves to be included in this line-up, please send us their names and any supporting documents you may have to pfpublisher@yahoo.com. For now, we are including only those who are currently active and visible in the media and the community, regardless of their religious, sexual or political orientation. Thank you.

Roland Casamina, Businessman and Philanthropist

Roland Casamira (Source; House of Finance)

Casamina was born in a small village in the Philippines and came to the United States in 1968 as a young teenager with his parents—arriving with no money but full of hope for a better life. He attended Kalakaua Middle School and graduated from Farrington High School in 1972. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler College of Business in 1976.

His first job was as a busboy in Waikīkī, working nights while attending high school. He later worked full-time as a waiter at night while simultaneously pursuing his college degree during the day.

Immediately after graduating in 1976, Casamina was hired as a Branch Manager at the former International Savings and Loan. At age 22, he became the youngest branch manager in the company’s history. He rose quickly to Vice President, a position he held until 1995, when he founded House of Finance, Inc., a company specializing in residential loan funding. The Pacific Business News ranked House of Finance, Inc. #15 in both 2010 and 2011 among the top residential loan funding institutions in the entire State of Hawai‘i—out-funding many mid-size banks in the state.

Casamina has received numerous awards and remains active in many civic and professional organizations in Hawai‘i. He is the founding president of the Filipino Community Center, one of his proudest achievements. In recognition of his contributions, a ballroom at the center was named in his honor.

Irene Cruz, Broadcast Journalist

Irene Cruz (Source Instagram)

Irene Cruz is a weekend morning anchor and general assignment reporter for ABC7 Eyewitness News, where she has been on-air since June 2022. She earned her B.A. in Literary Journalism from UC Irvine and received a scholarship from the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

Before joining ABC7, Cruz anchored the 10 p.m. weeknight newscast and reported for WOAI-TV in San Antonio, Texas. Her work there earned two Emmy nominations, including one for a report highlighting the dangers of deep-fake technology.

Earlier in her career, she anchored and reported for KXTV-TV in Sacramento, California, covering major stories such as the Northern California wildfires, the Oroville Dam crisis, and large-scale demonstrations at the state Capitol. She began her broadcasting journey at KYMA-TV in Yuma, Arizona, where she served as an anchor, producer, and multimedia journalist—shooting and editing many of her own stories. Her coverage focused on border security, immigration, and agriculture.

The proud daughter of Filipino immigrants, Cruz fully comprehends Tagalog. Outside of the newsroom, she enjoys 3D printing, playing piano, singing, writing science fiction, and attending Comic-Cons.

Dale Edwin Ho, Judge

Dale Edwin Ho (Source: Wikipedia)

Before his appointment as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, Dale Edwin Ho served as the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project. In 2013, he began teaching election law as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School and later taught a racial justice clinic as an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law. Born in San Jose, California, to Filipino immigrant parents, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in political philosophy, summa cum laude, from Princeton University and his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. On September 25, 2024, he was randomly assigned to the prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Michelle G. Garcia, Mental Health Advocate

Michelle G. Garcia (Source: Thriving Asians)

Michelle Garcia is a second-generation Filipina American dedicated to supporting the mental health of Asian youth, families, and communities. Her early career focused on global education, health, and human rights, including work in Southeast Asian education, refugee resettlement in New York, human rights in the Middle East, and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education. After confronting burnout and trauma in her own life, she transitioned into the mental health field, becoming an educator and trainer, and embracing self-compassion, self-care, and stress-management practices that transformed her well-being. Since 2019, Garcia has worked as a consultant specializing in the intersection of mental health, DEI, and leadership. She founded Thriving Asians to advance culturally grounded mental health education and initiatives, and to cultivate mental health leadership among the next generation of Asian youth.

Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, Choreographer

Elizabeth Roxas Dobrish (Source: Facebook)

Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish was born in Manila and became the youngest member of Ballet Philippines. She moved to New York City in 1979 and received scholarships to The Joffrey Ballet School, The Martha Graham School, and The Ailey School. She also danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Ohad Naharin, and Joyce Trisler Danscompany before joining Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as its first Filipina dancer, where she was a principal from 1984 to 1997. The New York Times once praised her as “a cool, still, lyrical center of the Ailey storm.”

Throughout her career, Roxas-Dobrish has worked with renowned choreographers including Alvin Ailey, Katherine Dunham, Jerome Robbins, Talley Beatty, Lar Lubovitch, John Butler, Ulysses Dove, and Judith Jamison. She appeared in the Emmy Award–winning PBS specials Two by Dove and Judith Jamison’s A Hymn for Alvin Ailey. In 1997, she was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine and named by Avenue Magazine as one of the 500 most influential Asian Americans. She received the Ma-Yi Theater Award in 2017 honoring her contributions to the arts.

Roxas-Dobrish has taught at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts through the Cap21 program and the Graduate School. She has choreographed for regional theaters and has been commissioned to create work in China, Cuba, France, and across the United States. The Asian Cultural Council awarded her a grant for a wearable sculpture/dance collaboration that premiered in the Philippines in 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she created virtual choreography for the 2020 SOHO International Film Festival and the 2021 Philippine Dance Festival. In 2022, she choreographed mediAcation for Ailey II, and in 2023 she premiered Me, Myself and You for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Jose Mari Lanuza, Professor

Jose Mari Hall Lanuza (Source: NY SOutheast Asia Network)

Jose Mari Hall Lanuza is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of the Philippines Manila and a Communication PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In 2024, he received a Dissertation Innovation Fellowship from the Mellon Foundation and the American Council for Learned Societies. He also serves as an assessor for the International Fact-Checking Network. In the Philippines, he is the research head of the non-profit think tank SIGLA: Action Research Center for Resilient Public Spheres. His research focuses on political communication and disinformation, media systems, and elections. His work has been published by Routledge, Wiley Blackwell, the Review of Women’s Studies, the Harvard Shorenstein Center, and Internews. He is currently conducting research on the everyday dynamics of disinformation leading up to the 2025 Philippine midterm elections.

Vanessa Garcia, Restaurateur

Vanessa Garcia (Source: NBC News/Photo by Tony Zernik)

In 2004, Vanessa Garcia purchased the 7 Mile House, then a dark dive on the outskirts of Brisbane, California—unaware of its rich history, the countless stories held within its walls, and its role for more than 160 years as a gathering place for locals and travelers of all backgrounds. Over the years, she worked to revive the business while persistently trying to piece together the restaurant’s past and uncover the mysteries surrounding 7 Mile House.

Her fourteen-year journey culminated in 2018 with the celebration of the restaurant’s 160th anniversary and the release of her self-published book, See You at the 7 – Stories from the Bay Area’s Last Original Mile House. Established in 1858, the historic 7 Mile House is now an award-winning, family- and dog-friendly restaurant and sports bar, serving a unique mix of homestyle American and Filipino food. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area for 165 years, it is the only original mile house still standing in its historic location.

Amira Humes, Illustrator and Author

Amira Humes (Source: Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design)

Amira Humes holds a BFA in Illustration from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. She wrote and illustrated a children’s book centered on Filipino food and heritage, sharing the flavors and traditions that hold a special place in her heart.

“My journey as an artist has taken me from freelance projects to my current role at Kohl’s, where I create patterns and graphic tee designs for the classic women’s brand Croft & Barrow. I love knowing that someone out there is wearing my artwork, and I hope it brings her a sense of joy, confidence, and pride in her outfit. Through everything I do, from children’s books to mural projects, my art reflects my love for Filipino culture, my deep appreciation for the memories and stories that shape our identity, and my aim to foster connection and joy through storytelling. With a bubbly, approachable style, I hope my work brings warmth and a sense of community to all who experience it!”

Her most rewarding project was a Filipino food–based mural for Knorr, where she was able to celebrate her heritage while honoring her mother and the fond memories she created around Filipino food. “Ultimately, being an artist is rewarding because it allows me to share a piece of myself while creating something meaningful to others,” she said.

Carlin James, Actor

Carlin James (Source: Facebook)

Growing up in Long Beach and raised by Filipino parents, Carlin James recalls watching movies all the time. “My dad owned an auto shop,” he says. “There was a video store next door, and I would literally spend hours picking the one right movie to watch.” He was at a Philippine Expo when he was approached by a Filipino talent manager, and soon began taking acting classes.

His first big break was booking a small role on How to Get Away with Murder in 2016—the same year he joined SAG-AFTRA. “So, after years of auditioning and getting nothing, I finally booked that role and within two months, I got three more gigs, which was kind of a windfall at the time for me,” he said.

In addition to How to Get Away with Murder, Carlin has worked on NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawai‘i, Better Call Saul, and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. He hopes his career will “create stability and longevity,” acknowledging that “it’s somewhat of a big ask, because as an actor, you’re always going from job to job… but having longevity is the objective.” He says the industry has taught him patience and how to “just grind it out, sometimes.”

Agnes Malate, Educator

Dr. Agnes Malate (Source: University of Hawai’i at Manoa)

Dr. Agnes Malate was born in the Philippines and grew up in the heart of Ewa Plantation Town in Hawai‘i. She enjoyed the nurturance of a large extended Filipino family that upheld cultural traditions while encouraging her generation to “focus on education” in order to fulfill immigrant dreams of a better life.

She majored in political science and journalism at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM), where she became fascinated with the distinct landscape of Hawai‘i politics and public policy—especially issues related to equal opportunities in higher education. For her MEd degree, she conducted research on the factors that support the success of medical students from disadvantaged backgrounds. She later earned her PhD in Educational Foundations, with a dissertation that examined the community and family factors contributing to the success of first-generation college graduates.

Dr. Malate thrives on program development and building connections between higher education and community-based learning opportunities. She has collaborated with leaders in Hawai‘i’s health care community, UH campuses statewide, public schools, and community-based organizations to develop innovative approaches to student learning and community engagement. She serves on the boards of The Legal Clinic and Ethnic Education Hawai‘i and is a member of the advisory board for Waipahu High School’s Academy of Health and Sciences.

Source: Google and Wikipedia

---