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by Maria Africa Beebe (Editor), Susie Quesada (Contribution by), Marily Mondejar (Foreword by)
Filipina Women's Network's 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World (Global FWN100(TM)) Awardees share their stories on how they influenced their peers and communities, developed their inner power, and gained their leadership positions in the global business workplace."Write hard and clear about what hurts." - Ernest HemingwayHere are excerpts -I always felt different growing up. I grew up in a mostly white American suburb in Northern California where I was only one of a handful of Asians at school. 99.9 percent of my teachers and coaches were white. In my seventh grade Spanish class, the teacher spoke to me in Spanish because of my last name and I was mortified because I did not understand Spanish. My name was different, my food was different, and my parents were different. I was made fun of for eating with a fork and spoon. I did not know my parents had an accent until a friend of mine mentioned it in middle school. I had a crush on the only Filipino boy at school in seventh grade. I was too nervous to get to know him, but I felt like if I did, we would have had a lot in common. Having things in common with others is what most kids are looking for as they grow up. They want to be accepted and have successful role models that look like them. Do not get me wrong. I had great friendships growing up. Friendships that endure even today but I knew I was very different from the other kids. -Susie QuesadaI arrived in San Francisco in 1980 not knowing anyone, to escape an abusive spouse, get a divorce since there was no divorce in the Philippines and in order to start a new life. With only $200 in my pocket, I was rich in contacts in America and determined to start a new life for myself and my sons. I lied to my sons about the reason for my travel and promised I would soon return for them. I do not think they quite believed me especially my younger son, Ganie. Franklin, however, gave me a look that I interpreted as, "I believe you, Mommy." At that time, I was already traveling for Time Life Books Asia, lived in Bangkok, Thailand, and was involved in the launch of the Time Life Books distributorship. This was one of the business ventures of Bill Heinecke, the president of Minor Holdings. My sons had lived with me in Bangkok during one of their summer vacations, so I had some credibility talking about my promised return. I had always involved my sons in my work bringing them along on business trips and to work events. I wanted to share with them my work ethic and why I wanted to be independent and earn my own money. -Marily MondejarBehind every brilliant success story there are several attempts that did not go quite as planned. Filipina Women's Network (FWN) collected Filipina women's leadership stories about failures-those mistakes, missteps, detours, or career derailments that ultimately led these select Filipina women leaders to where they are today. Rather than seeing failure as an event to be ashamed of, FWN sees failure as an opportunity to be celebrated. It means that Filipina women took action, learned from their mistakes and are now wiser than they were before. "Failure is a mark of courage. To try and try until you succeed," said Marily Mondejar, founder and CEO, Filipina Women's Network. "These amazing women disrupted their personal and professional lives to embark on new challenges, new adventures, rising up, speaking out, sharing their innermost secrets. This collection of leadership stories of Filipina Women Rising is dedicated to the next generation Filipina leaders so they can visualize what it takes to be a Filipina woman leader," Mondejar emphasized.
