Podcasts, Archives, Television, Digital and Community Engagement

About

My dissertation (the latter portions of which segue into the Digital Era), the cultures of the global Filipino community I write about, form part of, and work with, as well as newer developments in the practice of history in the United States have all kindled my fascination with digital approaches to the study and production of historical work. In tandem with writing articles, books, and the like in the conventional manner, I am currently engaged in a number of digital and public history projects and have envisioned a number of others I hope to undertake in the future. My vision of the importance of studying and archiving history, its relevance to current affairs, and its particular importance for diasporic communities in the US (in this case global Filipino Americans) can be found in my discussion with preternatural host G Tongi on Kababayan Today, a chat we had for the occasion of Filipino American History Month, 2014.

Founder and Podcast Editor, History Graduate Colloquium, UCLA,
2009-2014


My greatest contribution to digital history thus far has been the founding, with Dr. Daphne Rozenblatt, of UCLA’s History Graduate Colloquium (HGC) in 2009. HGC organized talks by graduate students from all subfields of history. Over the course of five years, I secured funding, navigated bureaucracies, and mentored graduate students. As a convenor of the colloquium, I also curated what during my tenure was the department’s most extensive podcast collection, all of which I personally recorded and frequently served as moderator. Further information and links to each podcast can be found here.

Consultant, Presenter of "Know History, Know Self," Kababayan Today, 2014-2016


I serve as a consultant on matters of Filipino history for the KSCI community-based program Kababayan Today. My more general work involves reviewing materials for broadcast, contacting scholars, activists, and particular members in the community, and designing content. See, e.g., the brief biographical sketch I wrote about national hero José Rizal as read by host G Tongi. Since July, 2015, I have served as a contributor to the weekly segment, "Know History, Know Self," which provides a historical context for topics discussed on the show (see above page). In the near future, I will aim to deposit physical records of all shows that have been aired since its inception in 2007 in a suitable institution and to create a searchable database, organized by subject area, based on that archive.

Member of Board of Advisors, Filipino Cultural School, 2014-present

My principal work with the Filipino Cultural School, a K-12 cultural education organization based in Norwalk, CA, has been to overhaul the curriculum. The renovated version of the curriculum (Filipino History, Lifestyle, Popular Culture, Dance, and Filipino Language) was implemented in 2015. As part of this process, I also train and mentor to the university educated volunteers who teach these courses, design and make available relevant pedagogical materials, and serve as a consultant for the organization on more general matters relating to teaching. I am additionally involved in a number of other, more specific tasks, such as helping to draft our application to become a non-profit organization and helping to plan and manage FCS's future growth. For more information, see their website and Facebook page.