FilAms Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 82

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.

Lucas and Leonardo del Rosario, Scouts

Lucas and Leonardo Del Rosario, with parents Antonio and Cristina (Source: GMA News)

On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, two brothers in scouting are reshaping what an Eagle Scout project can look like. Lucas and Leonardo G. del Rosario have brought Indigenous culture and literature from the Pacific Islands into a neighborhood where Filipino and Asian Pacific stories are rarely taught, seen or celebrated.  Lucas, a freshman at American University on a Presidential Merit Scholarship, and Leonardo, a junior at The Browning School, completed their projects in the winter and spring. Together, their work reached hundreds of people inside and outside the scouting community, inspiring youth to explore their own heritage and showing how leadership in scouting can change a neighborhood’s understanding of history and identity.

Lucas’ project centers on Indigenous Maranao culture, music and Catholic faith while Leonardo’s project elevates Asian Pacific writers and student voices through a citywide magazine, scholarship and symposium. Both grew from deeply personal questions: Where do I come from, and who gets to tell that story? He worked with Kinding Sindaw and discovered stories he had never heard of, traditions that existed long before Spanish colonization, and he began to understand how more than 300 years of Spanish rule shaped religion, language and culture across the archipelago. He designed an educational and fundraising event that introduced indigenous Maranao culture and Filipino American history to the Upper East Side.

Leonardo, meanwhile, turned to writing and public conversation. The KAPWA Project shone a light on Asian Pacific identity through literature, discussion and scholarship. His Eagle project became a three-part initiative. The first part was a scholarship for a high school writer. The second was an annual magazine featuring student literary work. The third was a live symposium that would bring students, educators, parents, and community members together to discuss Asian Pacific identity and storytelling. The KAPWA Project became an annual event. Scouts from Troop 662 provided essential support. Youth volunteers managed check-in, food, set-up, seating, and clean-up afterward. Through their Eagle Service Projects, Lucas and Leonardo del Rosario have helped make the Upper East Side a place where Indigenous culture and Asian Pacific literature from across the Pacific Islands can be seen, heard, and carried forward by the next generation.

Marivi Soliven, Author

Marivi Soliven (Source: marivisoliven.com)

Soliven has authored 17 books, including The Mango Bride which won the grand prize at the 2011 Palanca Awards. Her recent book, Suddenly Stateside: Postscript, contains a “sharp, funny and deeply felt chronicle of immigration, identity, and reinvention. From surviving Martial Law to navigating the INS, from learning the dark arts of American housekeeping in Berkeley to the indignities of public restrooms, flashers, driving tests, and a pet rat named Janet, Soliven captures the bewilderment, humor and wonder of building a life an ocean away from home.”

Her personal essay, Pandemic Bread, about interpreting end-of-life calls during the COVID pandemic has been turned into a short documentary and has screened in 11 film festivals. Apart from writing, Soliven helps fellow immigrants manage their medical, legal and financial issues in her day job as a phone interpreter.

Jeremy Arambulo, Illustrator and Cartoonist

Jeremy Arambulo (Source: Instagram)

Arambulo is a Los Angeles-based cartoonist. He was nominated for a 2012 Emmy Award for his cartooning on HBO Documentaries' Superheroes, storyboarded music videos for Matt & Kim and Noel Gallagher, and created a graphic novel for Kaiju Big Battel in addition to various minicomics. He also plays Andy Go in Derek Kirk Kim's web series Mythomania. He wrote and illustrated an original 238-page graphic novel inspired by the 1964 duel between Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man.

Born in Queens and raised in Long Island, Arambulo studied graphic design at Boston University. After graduation, he landed a job as Art Production Assistant at Blue Sky Studios working on Ice Age. He continued as a painter at The Danbury Mint, created storyboards for music videos, designed The Sleeping’s albums, Believe What We Tell You and Questions and Answers, and drew comic art for Styx Taxi, Siglo: Passion, and Lifemeter. He works as a part-time graphic designer for a major audiobook company while drawing his ongoing mini comic series, Let’s Do This.

Dev Heyrana, Artist

Dev Heyrana (Source: Instagram)

Heyrana’s artwork honors her journey as a Filipino American artist, mother and advocate for community connection. Words were often hard to express, and art became her refuge at a young age. It has been her comfort, voice, healing and joy. She paints in her Oakland studio and lives in the Bay Area with her family. Raising and watching her two girls grow as they also find their voices while celebrating who they are, have been a source of strength in her art. 

Her vibrant and evocative works that celebrate the beauty and diversity of the human experience ar4e deeply rooted in her personal journey and commitment to social justice. Her pieces often explore themes of identity, resilience and community, drawing inspiration from her Filipino heritage and experiences as a woman of color. Through her art, Dev aims to create a space for dialogue and reflection, encouraging viewers to engage with the world around them in a more empathetic and inclusive way.

Dylan Rodriguez, Professor

Dylan Rodriguez (Source: LinkedIn)

Rodriguez is a teacher, scholar, organizer and collaborator who has been with the University of California Riverside since 2001. He is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Black Studies as well as the Department of Media and Cultural Studies. He was Chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies from 2009-2016, Chair of the UCR Academic Senate from 2026-2020, Co-Director of the UCR Center for Ideas and Society since 2021 where he created the Decolonizing Humanism programming stream which features scholars, artists and intellectuals based in revolutionary, anti-colonial, and liberationist movements all over the world. He was elected President of the American Studies Association by his peers in 2020, the same year in which he was named to the inaugural class of Freedom Scholars, a national award program that intends to “recognize the role Freedom Scholars play in cultivating and nurturing movements for justice and freedom.”

Rodriguez recently received the prestigious Outstanding Scholar Activist Award of the International Studies Association (ISA) in Columbus, Ohio. Invited to give a short speech by Zoom, he focused on how his father, Gadoy Rodriguez, was a secret agent, whose role could not be publicly revealed until after he passed away in 2023, but whose contribution to bringing down the Marcos Sr. dictatorship was unparalleled. According to Walden Bello, his father smuggled out documents, sneaking past security, and other means, all at great risk of losing his job at the World Bank (where the bulk of economic assistance to Marcos expedited), going to jail, and being expelled from the U.S. if discovered. His father was key in getting some 6,000 pages of confidential bank documents covering practically all World Bank projects in the Philippines. This heist lasted over three years.

Vince Bagoyo, Publisher

Vince Bagayo (Source: Filam Voice)

Bagoyo is the President of V. Bagoyo Development Group, LLC. He is also the co-Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Maui Fil/Am Voice Newspaper, an outlet for community news, cultural events and issues affecting Filipinos across the region. Starting as a Project Specialist with Maui County Immigrant Services, Bagoyo became Director of Maui County Department of Water Supply (1984-1990) and of Maui County Department of Housing and Human Concern (1982-1984). Bagoyo and the Two-Thirds World Network (TTWN), a non-profit Christian organization based in Maui regularly go to various parts of the Philippines to conduct medical, dental, livelihood training and evangelism ministry missions.

Cherisse H. Cleofe, Judge

Cherisse H. Cleofe (Source: The Daily Journal)

Governor Newsom recently appointed Cleofe of Orange County as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. She has worked as a Partner at Kiesel Law LLP where her focus was on mass tort litigation, consumer class actions, catastrophic personal injury and other complex litigation in federal and state courts. She received a B.S. in Management Science from UCSD and earned her J.D. from University of San Francisco.

Cleofe has been a member of the LACBA Litigation Section Executive Committee since 2016, currently serving as Vice Chair of that Section. She also formerly served on the LACBA Barristers Executive Committee. Cleofe has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) since 2015 and was PABA President in 2020. In addition, she has been a member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association Public Appointments & Judicial Endorsements Committee since 2019. Cleofe also completed two terms on the Board of Governors for USF School of Law. She is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), American Association for Justice (AAJ), Federal Bar Association (FBA), Association of Business Trial Lawyers – Los Angeles (ABTL), and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

Dana Pastula, Chef and Restaurant Owner

Chef Dana Pastula (Source: MENU)

Bringing her food and beverage experience from working in hotel restaurant management at Hyatt Hotels, Manele Bay Resort and the Wailea Four Seasons Resort, Pastula opened the first Cafe O'Lei in Makawao, Maui in 1997.  It all started as a five-table outdoor cafe serving sandwiches, salads, coffee and tea in Maui's Upcountry.  Husband Mike joined her, leaving his job as executive chef at the Outrigger Resort in Wailea to focus on expanding their business.  The Cafe O'Lei brand quickly evolved into one of Maui's favorite and most trusted for quality restaurants and caterers on the island. Two daughters and their husbands are also involved in the business. Together, the family operates Café O’Lei at the Plantation, Café O’Lei Kihei and Café O’Lei Catering. In 2020, The Maui Chamber of Commerce gave Michael and Dana Pastula the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dave Llavanes, Jr., President, The Fil-Am Press Club of New York

Dave Llavanes, Jr. (Source: Threads.net)

Llavanes, based in New York for the past six years, is the News and Public Affairs Correspondent for GMA Network, one of the leading media companies in the Philippines. He completed a NYU Film and TV Industry Essentials Certificate and attended other training programs where his competencies in multimedia journalism, videography and online content creation were enhanced. In 2004, he received the Outstanding Television Journalist of the Philippines award. The Fil-Am Press Club of New York elected Llavanes as president for the 2026-2028 term. He is also the founder of The Filipino Reporters. In 2025, Llavanes was one of seven journalists recognized and awarded a Certificates of Merit by Triveni Times, a media network serving South Asia and immigrant communities, and another from New York State Assembly in recognition of his significant contributions to promoting community unity through journalism.

John Francis Saavedra, Teacher

John Francis Saavedra (Source: GMA Network)

Saavedra, an English educator based in Glendale, Arizona, was recognized as “Teacher of the Year” within the Legacy Traditional Schools system, which operates more than 20 campuses statewide. “It felt like I was representing every Filipino educator and every immigrant who has had to prove themselves.” Saavedra, who emigrated to the United States at a young age and later completed his education in Guam, has been teaching for 18 years. Today, he specializes in secondary English, focusing on reading and writing, and is known for initiatives that emphasize student voice and confidence-building, including TED-style student talks.

“Representation matters,” he said. “For many students, I may be the first Filipino teacher they’ve encountered. I want them to see that success has many faces, many accents, and many stories.” He integrates Filipino values such as paggalang (respect), malasakit (compassion), tatag (resilience), and bayanihan (community spirit) into his teaching, shaping both classroom culture and student relationships, values he believes create an environment where students feel seen and supported, especially those navigating their own identities or challenges.Saavedra is pursuing a doctorate in Adult Education and hopes to mentor future educators at the university level.

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