My story.
From a small town called Pili, in Camarines Sur, Philippines.
I have been fond of designing since I was fifteen. Back then I would volunteer to make invitations, banners, and flyers for family occasions, events, weddings, birthdays, and my cousins' school projects. It was something I did on the side, because growing up in poverty, our dreams had to be practical. We needed a way to pull ourselves up, so design stayed a quiet thing I loved rather than something I imagined building a life on.
"Growing up in poverty, our dreams had to be practical."
Falling behind, finding forward
There was a stretch when I was an out-of-school youth, and I really felt like I'd fallen behind. Maybe it was meant to happen that way. I stepped back from my own education so my siblings could continue theirs — and in that pause, I started to find my passion.
A pizzeria, a pandemic, a diploma
Around that time, my mom and I started a business: a bakery and pizzeria. I handled everything on the front — the marketing, the banners and flyers and calling cards, the social media, even making the pizza boxes. The business carried us through COVID, and during those years I got the chance to go back and finish high school.
My last two years were spent balancing online school and the business at the same time. It was hard, but giving up was never an option — the business was our only source of income. And even with all of that, the dream stayed in the back of my mind. Between online school, the business, and volunteer and civic work, I still found the time to apply to schools in the US.
"My life changed overnight."
Five offers, one scholarship
I was accepted to five schools that offered me scholarships, though none were enough on their own. I also finished high school as the valedictorian. I shared my story online, and my provincial government recognized it — awarding me a scholarship large enough to actually pursue college in the USA. My life changed overnight.
Where code and design meet
I went to Creighton University and started as a physics major on the engineering track. One of the requirements was to take computer science classes, and the moment I took my first one, I fell in love, so I switched my major to computer science. Then another requirement put me in a graphic design class, and design and I met again. This time I did not dismiss it. I took on both majors, and that is where I learned that coding and design can actually live together. I found my passion in web design and in designing in general.
I did not waste my time in college. I made the most of it, taking graphic design and computer science classes side by side, and I became the flexible person I am today, someone who found his place where creativity and problem solving meet. I finished college recognized as the most outstanding graduate in the Graphic Design and Film program.
"Coding and design can actually live together."
Designing it loud
I know the reality of being in the margins, and I still consider myself part of it. I am not someone looking in from the outside. That is why my mission is to help the next generation find their voice and amplify it. Design taught me that the point was never to speak for people — it was to give them the tools and the space to be heard on their own terms.
"Help others find their voice, and design it loud enough that the world cannot look away."