Maui woman is among 20 Outstanding Filipinos Abroad

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KAHULUI - An accomplished educator on Maui, Debra A. Nakama was honored as the one of 20 Outstanding Filipinos Abroad by the Filipino Image Magazine and Pinoy Global Online News.

Nakama flew with her husband, Lawrence, earlier this month to receive her accolades at the 15th annual awards banquet held in Washington, D.C.

"I was totally humbled," Nakama said about the experience. "I kept asking myself, 'What am I doing here?' "

Nakama said she was impressed by the list of honorees from across the country. Many of them have achieved success in professions such as law and medicine, and others have served as champions of community advocacy.

At age 55, Nakama works as an articulation coordinator at Maui Community College. She's tasked with bridging high school students into the community college system.

One of her personal missions is to work with Filipino high school students "who face many unique issues and problems."

Nakama wrote in the Filipino Image Magazine that because Filipino students are under the Asian-American umbrella, they are "adversely affected by the model minority myth that assumes that all Filipinos are economically and academically successful."

She said those who fall short of the model minority myth become disenfranchised by an educational system that does not understand their specific needs. Thus, many of them fail to obtain a higher education.

Additionally, Filipino students are forced to work through home issues confounded by generational and cultural gaps. Their immigrant parents are often unfamiliar with customs of the United States and its educational system, Nakama wrote.

Because parents promote the "ideals of success in mainstream America, Filipino youth grow up without learning about and honoring their genealogy and culture," Nakama added.

She said that while she does not speak the Filipino language, she was fortunate to have been raised by her late mother, the former Nancy T. Nemoto, a Japanese seamstress, and her father, Bernaldo R. Aguinaldo, a retired sugar plantation worker, who stressed the importance of an education along with recognition of her unique heritage.

Aguinaldo actively campaigned with his children, including Debra Nakama, for Filipino political candidates. The latter include Richard Caldito, the first Filipino-American Democrat elected to U.S. public office, as a member of the Board of Supervisors, predecessor to the Maui County Council. Caldito nominated Nakama for her award this year.

"I'm here today because of people like my father and Mr. Caldito," Nakama said. "I was fortunate (that) our lives intersected."

The 20 Outstanding Filipinos Abroad awards program is an effort by its sponsors to honor Filipino leaders in communities across the country. The award winners are noted for their inspirational, dynamic leadership and positive Filipino-American image.

Nakama said she feels privileged to have met the 2008 honorees and has promised to stay in touch with them to share resources. She's interested specifically in Filipinos who want to help youths access higher education through scholarships and other financial programs.

Nakama said she was struck by how many Filipino-Americans at the awards program still were very dedicated to their native country.

"My loyalties are to Maui," she said.

Nakama said she found that whether the award recipients were dedicated to the Philippines or their new country of the United States, all have a lot of pride in being Filipino.

The honorees inspired her to do more for her community. "It's the sense of hope. I could be somebody like them," she said.

Building the Filipino community on Maui has been a priority for Nakama.

"We Filipinos need to come together to build inclusive communities for ourselves, and to continue and expand our involvement in our lives in our communities," she said.

"We need to listen collectively to our diverse voices and engage in dialogue that helps us to openly discuss the richness of our heritage, the current issues affecting our identities, and optimize the opportunities to continue to make contributions to America."

Nakama and husband Lawrence have one son, Johnston. Their family business is called Nakama's Plumbing Inc.

* Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.