Rebecca Arcia Nicolay
Rebecca Arcia Nicolay was born and raised in San Francisco and now lives in Millbrae. She enjoyed a successful career in financial services spanning more than 40 years before retiring. Becky and Bill are proud parents of two sons, Will (his wife, Lynn) and Matthew (his partner, Cassandra Paran) and delighted grandparents to two grandsons, Luca and Levi. Family is a cherished part of Becky’s life, and she treasures the time she spends with them. While Millbrae is home today, her heart will always belong to San Francisco.
Edwin Lozada is an author, poet, and has been an educator in the California Public school system for 33 years. He is President of Philippine American Writers and Artists (PAWA), Co-Director of Filipino American International Book Festival, and is Vice-President and curator for The Hinabi Project: The Art of Philippine Textiles
Edwin Lozada
Alexandra Munoz
Alexandra Munoz is a writer and communications professional working at the intersection of Filipino American history, storytelling, and cultural memory.That interest began personally, through the process of cataloging and preserving her own family’s history, and became more formally rooted in her undergraduate studies at UC Santa Cruz. There, she spent a year teaching an ethnic studies course focused on the Filipino American diaspora, exploring the histories, communities, and identities that shape our lives. She later earned a Master of Public Policy from UCLA, where she continued to examine the ways communities, culture, and larger systems shape how people are seen and remembered.Alexandra believes, in the words of José Rizal, that to know history is to know oneself. She sees history not simply as something to preserve or look back on, but as a living part of how we understand who we are, where we come from, and what we choose to carry forward.
Robert V. Ragsac, Sr. is a first generation Filipino – American of Elcano parents who migrated to California in 1927.Robert Ragsac is a retired space systems engineer who worked in the aerospace industry and various research and project management positions. Living in San Jose California., He is currently working on a history of first wave Filipino immigrants to California who settled in Santa Clara Valley.
Robert Ragsac
Larnee San Juan
Larnee San Juan was born in the Philippines and came to San Francisco as an infant in 1968. She grew up in the Outer Mission neighborhood with her Manong father who came in the 1920s and mother who immigrated in the late 1950s. She has worked as a Public Health Nurse for 29 years finding passion working with low income families in the community in their homes, homeless shelters or where they want to meet her. She received her Bachelors in Nursing at San Francisco State and a Masters in Public Health from UCLA. Today she continues to thrive despite health challenges as a bestselling author, entrepreneur and a mom to her college daughter at Berkeley.
Diana Sana Aquino is the proud only child of the late Flora G. Sana, a WWII Leyte War Bride and Doroteo G. Sana, an infantryman in the U.S. Army’s 1st Filipino Regiment. A native of Mountain View, Dianna graduated from Santa Clara University with both her undergraduate and law degrees. Her professional journey includes an internship with the late Congressman Norman Y. Mineta and impactful project work with the Asian Law Alliance in San Jose. Growing up, her parents’ leadership in pioneering local Filipino organizations deeply cultivated her lifelong appreciation for her heritage. In October 2019, Dianna and her family joined the Alvarado Project delegation to Tacloban, Leyte to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Leyte Landing. This pilgrimage deepened her understanding of the historic joint Filipino-American footprints of WWII and reaffirmed the vital role community organizations play in preserving that legacy. Tonight, she is honored to carry forward her family’s roots – and the legacy of the Leyte Association of Northern California by sharing this excerpt from “Claiming Our Stories.”
Diana Aquino
Vanessa Landin
Vanessa Landin is a Bay Area filmmaker, director, and visual storyteller with experience both in front of and behind the camera. She began her formal training in 2011 at the Meisner Techniquestudio, where her study of acting and performance developed a strong foundation in character, emotional authenticity, and storytelling. Over the years, Vanessa has expanded her experience across multiple areas of film production, gaining hands-on knowledge of the filmmaking process through work in directing, camera, lighting, sound, and post-production. Her multidisciplinary background has given her an understanding of both the creative and technical elements that come together to tell a compelling story on screen. Most recently, Vanessa directed Diagnosis Lois, a narrative film currently making its way through the festival circuit. She also co-directed and co-edited The Mystery at Lands End, which is currently in the sound production phase. In addition to narrative filmmaking, Vanessa has worked as a videographer and photographer on a range of creative and commercial projects throughout the Bay Area. She is particularly drawn to stories rooted in people, memory, place, and lived experience, and values the ability of photography and film to preserve moments that might otherwise be lost.Vanessa resides in the Bay Area with her wife and their three beloved fur babies. Outside of filmmaking, she enjoys sharing home-cooked meals with friends and family, spending time with the people she loves, and finding inspiration in the communities and places around her.
Madison Nicole Andrade Dennee is a Filipino-American born in Scottsdale, Arizona. Growing up, she did not have a large Filipino culture around her which led to heir to want to study more about her family history and what is to come of it. In the fall of 2025, Madison started college at San Francisco State University as an International Relations Major, and soon added a History minor, focusing on Asian history, and currently, she is a Sophomore in college. Madison joined the Alvarado project not just to keep her family history relevant and speak it to the people, but to also learn more about it and Filipino culture as a whole.
Madison Dennee