Mae Cendaña Torlakson, the chairwoman of the Ambrose Recreation and Park District board in Bay Point and wife of state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, announced last July that she will seek the California State Assembly seat now held by Susan Bonilla, who is scheduled to "term out" of the 14th District seat in 2016.
Filipino American lawyer and FWN member Carmelyn P. Malalis, who was appointed Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights in November last year by Mayor Bill de Blasio, is expected to push hard for equality in the work place.
Malalis has a history of successfully combating discrimination and harassment in the workplace through her representation of employees from a variety of industries and income levels. Her dual role as Chair and Commissioner positions her to lead investigations of complaints of discrimination and retaliation in employment, housing and public accommodation.
News story courtesy of TheInquirer.net
Honolulu City Councilwoman and FWN member Kymberly Marcos Pine talks about her concerns about banning sitting and lying down on sidewalks at a rally Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, in Honolulu. A group of affordable housing advocates in Hawaii is calling on city and state leaders to take action on homelessness.
News story courtesy of Times Union
If you're fortunate enough to sit in on one of Sonia Aranza's motivational sessions, you'll hear her tell her audience repeatedly, "Create your own luck." It's a philosophy to which Aranza, an award-winning global diversity and inclusion strategist, is totally committed, having learnt of her Filipino father's experience as a boy.
News story from the Jamaican Observer
“Right Footed” received the “Il Pesce d’Argento” (The Silver Fish) for Best Documentary film at the 6th International Catholic Film Festival held last June at the Vatican. All the proceedings were held in Italian so Cox said she had no inkling that her film had won until the last moment, when the trailer was shown.
News story from TheInquirer.net
Women’s mixed martial arts (WMMA) is quickly gaining popularity and coming to the forefront of the sports world. However, there still exist some misconceptions and myths about WMMA that are held by a large portion of the population.
News story courtesy of Yahoo! Sports
Aixle Aman
Director of Political and Community Affairs, Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Tamar Galatzan
Santa Monica, California
Aixle Aman currently serves as the Director of Political and Community Affairs for Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Tamar Galatzan. Aixle (pronounced ACE-EL) personally acts as a liaison between Board Member Galatzan and over 40 District schools in the San Fernando Valley, where she grew up and went to school. In this role, she oversees Board District 3’s ongoing technology efforts, resolves facilities issues, and collaborates with community and stakeholder groups. She also organizes Board of Education committee meetings and District 3's town halls and tasks forces.
Previously, Aixle taught third and fifth grade students at a public school in Brooklyn, as a 2006 Teach For America corps member. In 2008, she returned to California to teach middle school math and English at the Westside Neighborhood School, a private/independent school. After witnessing the differences in the resources, supports, and parent engagement at each school, Aixle began to question the policies and systemic issues that served as the root causes of these inequities. She ultimately left the classroom to pursue her Master of Public Policy.
During her graduate experience in Berkeley, she conducted a program evaluation of an after-school tutoring program, supervised teachers who were participating in the University of San Francisco Teacher Education Program, and analyzed how a high school career academy's goals aligned with those of the City of Oakland, the school district, and a foundation. Her experience serving as a Graduate Student Instructor for Professor Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, deepened her understanding of some of the political and public policy debates around the distribution of wealth and opportunity in the U.S. All of these experiences gave her personal insight into the various issues that impact every student at every grade level within the K-12 education sector.
Aixle completed her Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley in 2012. She also has a B.A. in Political Science from UC San Diego and a Master of Science in Teaching from Pace University in New York City. She finds pleasure in being physically active, reading, and having meaningful conversations over a healthy meal or a soy chai tea.
Maria Rausch
CEO, Vertigo Animations
Irvine, California
Born and raised in the Philippines, Marla Rausch wanted to introduce the vast creative talent of artists from her home country to the 3D animation and motion capture industry. She established a production center in Manila, Philippines, with an Animation Vertigo team that is comprised of well-trained, seasoned trackers and animators who surpass quality standards, deliver on-time results and produce compelling and realistic results.
Prior to establishing Animation Vertigo, Marla worked freelance in Spectrum Studios and Sony Computer Entertainment America as a motion capture tracker. It was here that Marla learned the ins and outs and gained knowledge and experience of the animation and motion capture industry. Marla also worked as a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial and American Express Financial Advisors. She graduated from the University of the Philippines with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications.
Today, Marla is a member of the Motion Capture Society and the International Game Developers Association. She resides in Irvine with her husband and two children.
