At Home sa Abroad: How this leadership program helped Fil-Ams connect with their roots

MANILA, Philippines – If there is an American Dream, there is also a Filipino-American Dream.

According to Pew Research, the United States is host to at least 4.2 million Filipinos as of 2019, with Filipinos being the 3rd largest migrant group after Indians and Chinese. Alongside the Middle East, one of the top destinations for Filipino migrants is the US, where millions try to make their way through the highly competitive American culture.

In this episode of At Home sa Abroad: Stories of overseas Filipinos, Rappler researcher-writer Michelle Abad sits down with Leezel Tanglao, president of the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO). FYLPRO, a multidisciplinary leadership program working to advance Filipino-Americans through their advocacy and expertise in various industries, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Tanglao speaks about FYLPRO’s signature immersion program, which has given Filipinos living in America opportunities to visit the Philippines to network with business groups and communities, depending on their advocacies and career paths.

They have also held several community initiatives, such as a virtual help desk providing useful COVID-19 information tailored for Filipino senior citizens, frontline workers, and unemployed people.

At Home sa Abroad: Stories of overseas Filipinos is Rappler’s one-stop video podcast for all things Filipino diaspora. – Rappler.com