Among my best friends as a child were Frances the badger, Amelia Bedelia, and the Babysitters Club. It didn’t matter to them that I was the daughter of Filipino immigrants, that I didn’t understand idioms and said vowels strangely, that I was an ethnic chameleon who had to constantly show the world who I was. And who I wasn’t. Now as an educator, mother, and writer, I examine the hardships that I and thousands of others have faced through my teaching, writing, and presentations as a leader in my local, state, and national teacher unions. Additionally, I explore Filipino American history and culture as it is meant to be, acknowledged and celebrated.