Reflections on The Summit

by Nina Magpili-Smith
Intangibles
April 2019

Elena Dajero is one of the youth pioneers who exude outstanding community leadership
and whose vision and action in addressing important issues in the community contribute
immensely to a better world. In the workshop that she developed, organized and hosted, she
tackled the role of social media in the way the youth connects and engages with the Filipino
culture and history. Her motivation to develop the workshop emanates from her desire to raise
the youth’s awareness of the link between contemporary issues and the ethnic past while
emphasizing their role in addressing those issues to make a better society. She organized the
theme into five sessions namely family, friends, society, history, and culture. Each session
tackled specific issues with the corresponding impact of social media.

In addition, she also embodied and exercised the value of inclusivity by working with
representatives from the community from various age groups and cultural backgrounds to
incorporate their wisdom and experiences. When she and her sponsor, Mr. Gregory Falls,
reached out to me to integrate the design, concept, and lessons learned from the Kapwa
workshop I developed, organized and hosted in November of 2018 into her workshop, I felt
enthusiastic and honored. While working together, she demonstrated her ability to integrate
others’ knowledge and ideas, showcasing her openness to diverse voices around her. When
she invited me to give a short speech at the end of the workshop, I took the opportunity to thank
her for her leadership and to emphasize the importance of emulating her example in
demonstrating the positive value of working together as a community. Moreover, the diverse
team of volunteer student facilitators from various ethnic groups such as African American,
Filipino American, and Caucasian definitely added richness to discussions as they integrated
their own life experiences that intersected with Filipino American issues. An imprint of a quote
by Alexander McQueen on her workshop’s brochure sums up her remarkable approach, “Youth
culture now really looks back and embraces the past, but keeps it contemporary but not sticking
to one particular style.”

On top of that, the fun and engaging design of the workshop encouraged active
participation and learning throughout the event. Behind the scenes, through the process, I also
witnessed her ability to face challenges that showed her resilience and openness to growth.
Overall, I learned a lot from her as well! I believe her workshop successfully increased
awareness and spurred thought-provoking conversations about the complex and intermingling
past and present Filipino American community issues. I truly hope that the success of her
workshop will open doors that will lead to something even greater for her and the community.
She inspires many through her leadership, ingenuity, inclusive approach and passion for
community service. Indeed, I am grateful and proud to know that a community advocate and
change leader like her exists in this world.