Filipinos have been in the United States since the 16th century, yet many of their stories remain untold. For the past year, 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.

Roshani Chokshi, Author

Roshani Chokshi *(Photo by Aman Sharma)*

Award-winning author Chokshi’s mother is Filipino and her father is Gujarati from India. She grew up as a Hindu, which she often draws on in her novels. Her first novel sold while she attended law school at the University of Georgia, and she ultimately dropped out to pursue writing. Her first young adult novel, The Star-Touched Queen was published in 2016, and the second novel, A Crown of Wishes, in 2017. All of Chokshi’s first novels in her series debuted on The New York Times bestseller list. Another novel, Aru Shah, was picked for Reader’s Digest’s 25 Best Children’s Books of All Time and Time’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time together with another of her novel, The End of Time. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and often draw upon mythology and folklore.

Oliver Segovia, Entrepreneur

Segovia is the founder and CEO of AVA Online Group, an e-commerce startup building the next generation of online brands for Asia and beyond. AVA helps creative enterprises reach an online-savvy audience 24/7, without the traditional retail overhead. It Is funded by Kickstart Ventures, Hatchd Digital, and the Segovia Group. He also co-founded Metroheart Properties, a boutique real estate company that is currently developing a budget hotel in Makati, Metro Manila. Segovia holds an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was awarded the LeBarron-MacArthur-Ellis Fellowship. He co-authored Passion & Purpose: Stories from the Best & Brightest Young Business Leaders, which was selected for the 2012 JP Morgan Summer Reading List. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Eileen Tanghal, Founder and General Partner, Black Opal Ventures

Eileen Tanghal *(Source: Notre Dame San Jose)*

Eileen Tanghal is the co-founder and Managing Director of Black Opal Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund investing in hard tech healthcare. Tanghal has almost twenty years of venture capital experience and has sat on the boards of over 40 high-tech startup companies in the US and Europe as a financial and corporate venture capitalist and on behalf of the US intelligence community. Tanghal has been featured in Forbes, IEEE Spectrum, and Venture Capital Journal. She is an MIT (electrical engineering) and London Business School alum (MBA). She started her career as a device physicist with an early stage successful semiconductor company. After spending the 2000s as a VC in the UK, she went on to lead the VC group of Applied Materials and then led the New Business Ventures Group at ARM. In 2022, she decided to start a new endeavor and focus on investing in companies using hard tech to revolutionize health care and biosecurity. She founded Black Opal Ventures. Her debut $62M fund invests in early stage companies looking to revolutionize diagnosis, delivery of care, and drug discovery and delivery through the utilization of advanced technology including Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Computing at the Edge, TinyML, Digital Twins and Materials. She is passionate about advancing the number of women in the STEM and venture capital fields.

Jordana Valencia, People Development, Waymo

Jordana Valencia *(Source: Tigerhall Thinkfluencer)*

Valencia is head of People Development and Culture at Waymo, formerly the Google self-driving car project, now a tech company under Alphabet. A Harvard Business School graduate, Valencis also holds a master’s in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. She has taught leadership at MIT, was a consultant at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and worked with entrepreneurs across the globe. Before joining Waymo, she was the Regional Manager of Learning and Development at Grab. She also writes for Harvard Business Review about leadership, organizational culture and well-being.

Claret Presley, Health Executive

Claret Presley *(Source: Operation Inspire)*

Presley is a Sutter Health Nurse Executive of Perioperative Services – Main OR, outpatient surgery (OPS), sterile processing, perianesthesia, Endo/GI, IR, and Cath Lab. Claret served as an Associate Chief Administrator Officer for Kaiser Permanente in primary care services, medicine subspecialties, mental health, health education and promotion, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Claret has expertise in robotics surgery. She helped lead the COVID-19 efforts in Marin-Sonoma County for the residential care facilities for the elderly in collaboration with community hospitals and public health. She is an adjunct faculty at Samuel Merritt University for Doctor of Nursing program. Presley serves as a board of director president-elect for Women Health Care Executive for 2024-2025 and in an advisory council for Operation Access. Claret is a mentor for the University of California Berkeley’s Pilipino Association of Health Careers students. She recently received her president and key executive MBA degree from Pepperdine University. She graduated from Duke University for her Doctor of Nursing Practice with specialty in Executive Leadership. She received her master’s in science in nursing clinical system leadership from University of Arizona.

Rohanee Zapanta, Judge

Zapanta is a judge of the superior Court of San Diego County, California. She assumed office in 2018 and her term ends in 2027. She obtained her B.A. from the University of San Diego and a Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego School of Law. Born in Hawaii and raised in San Diego, Zapanta is the only Filipina American Judge currently serving on San Diego Superior Court. Prior to her appointment by Governor Jerry Brown in 2018, she worked for the San Diego County Public Defender’s Office specializing in working with indigent clients diagnosed with serious mental illness and developmental disabilities. She is Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the California Judges Association Law Student Wellness Committee.

Zachary Borja, Businessman and Unified School Trustee

Zachary Borja *(Source: San Leandro Unified)*

In addition to his digital business, Borja is also a Trustee of the San Leandro Unified School District, Area 1. He is a product of the district having attended Halkin Elementary, John Muir Middle School and San Leandro High School. Borja served on the City’s Human Services Commission for five years, where he championed funding and support for social service agencies aiding those in need. He also contributed to the San Leandro Scholarship Foundation Board, helping fund college education for SLHS graduates, and was a key member of the Leadership San Leandro Program Board, which focuses on developing the next generation of leaders. As a first-generation American born to a family who immigrated from the Philippines in the 1990s, Borja embraces the values of hard work and perseverance. His focus as a trustee is on sustainability, workforce development, financial literacy, and raising awareness about the district’s initiatives.

Zee Lacson, Young Adult Author

Zee Lacson has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from De La Salle University in Manila. She has had different professions: engineer, educator, photographer, and visual artist. Now, she is the promotions and engagement coordinator at the Grayslake Heritage Center and Museum in Grayslake, Illinois. But her hobby as a storyteller is getting the world’s attention. Using her first-generation immigrant experience, Lacson is the author of coming-of-age young-adult magical realism and clean romance. Part of the Woolgathering Trilogy, Twice Removed is told from the first-person perspective of an angst-ridden teenager. With mystical New Orleans as its setting, the book incorporates Philippine history, culture, and monsters. It was the young-adult book winner at the Best Indie Book Awards (BIBA) in 2024.

(Submitted by Rey de la Cruz)

Michelle Mariposa, Mezzo-Soprano

Michelle Mariposa (Source: Kennedy Center)

Award-winning Filipino Chinese Mariposa has been praised for her “rich, powerful mezzo.” She joined Chicago Opera Theater and the Chicago College of Performing Arts as a young artist, where she sang in the ensemble of Shostakovich’s The Nose, and covered the Countess and Podtochina. With COT, Mariposa also premiered Gillian Rae Perry’s new opera, The Weight of Light. Additional engagements this past season include the title role in Carmen and her recital debuts with the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago and Chamber Music at Bethany. She recently won the Lynne Cooper Harvey Foundation Award (top prize) in the Musicians Club of Women 2024 Vocal Competition. She was also named a winner of the Sullivan Award from the Sullivan Foundation, a winner of the Kentucky District round, and an Encouragement Award winner of the Central Region round of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. Mariposa is also a winner of the 2019 National Music Competition for Young Artists in her native Philippines, where she was also awarded Best Interpretation for the contest piece. She completed her master's in Voice and Opera Performance at Northwestern University, and her bachelor’s degree in Voice and Psychology at the University of the Philippines, both as summa cum laude.

Vanessa de Jesus, Basketball Player

De Jesus played for the Duke Blue devils in the NCSS In May 2019 and debuted for the team in November 2020, becoming the first Filipino in Duke University’s women’s basketball program. She stands 5’8 and plays guard. She missed the 2023-24 season due to a knee injury. The Valencia, California native is noted for her playmaking ability and eye for a pass. During her three years at Duke, De Jesus appeared in 66 games with 18 starts, averaging 5.1 points and two assists per game. She obtained her Philippine passport in 2023 in time to compete as a “naturalized player” at the 2023 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup. She returned for the 2024-2025 season.

The Magazine

FilAms Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 67