KCC counselor Ana Bravo, a Filipina-American, wants student to “feel like they belong.” (Photo by Makayla Dilliner)

By Makayla Dilliner | Staff Writer

Ana Bravo, an instructor, club advisor and counselor at Kapi‘olani Community College for 11 years, was born in the Philippines and at the age of 12 immigrated to the U.S. Now a 1.5 immigrant, who has struggled with the insecurities of identity, serves as an educator for KCC’s Lunalilo Scholars and Kūlia ma Kapi‘olani, programs that provide support for Pacific Islander college students. She also serves as a college counselor and club advisor for KCC’s Bayanihan. Her goal, during this Filipino-American history and heritage month and every month, is to help students cultivate a foundation of identity and belonging in their college journey in order to set them up for success in their careers.

“I want to give students the experience that I never had, the chance to feel like they belong, that they can be themselves,” the 42-year-old said.

Bravo is a Filipina-American and part of the KCC community that identifies as Filipino. Born in Batangas City, Philippines, Bravo moved to San Diego at 12 years-old. Being born in the Philippines and immigrating to America at a young age, is what characterizes her as a 1.5 immigrant. Once self-conscious of her identity, Bravo has become dedicated to helping those once in her position through her work with Lunalilo Scholars, Kūlia ma Kapi‘olani and the Filipino-American Bayanihan Club.

While Bravo was raised to believe America was the ultimate place of prosperity and wealth, adjusting to her new life, instead, brought unfamiliar experiences of mockery and insecurity.

But being placed in an American middle school, an already vulnerable time for students while they are in search of their identity, all Bravo found herself wanting to do was fit in. As the years went by, she wanted to stop speaking Tagalog in order to fit in. The older she became, the less likely it was to hear her voice in school or in the classroom.

It wasn’t until she met her college counselor at UCLA that Bravo knew who she was and what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Lovell Sevilla, a UCLA alumna herself, served as a college counselor at the institution for over two decades. After serving as the director of counseling and achieving the Chancellor’s Excellence in Service Award, Sevilla continues to leave an impact on the college after her passing in 2014. The UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association has since established a scholarship in her name.

“She helped me see that I could not only be both American and Filipino but follow my own path for my life,” Bravo said.

Bravo turned her once insecurity of identity into a proud testament of her life and purpose. Finally in January 2013, Bravo moved to Hawai‘i and interned as a counselor at Kapi‘olani Community College for graduate school.

“Every time I visited [Hawaiʻi] as a tourist, I saw so many Filipinos, or at least folks that looked like me,” she said. “I felt like having grown up in the Philippines. So when it was time to apply for my master’s in counseling, that is where I chose to live.”

After a full-time counseling position opened, it was time for her to combine aspects of counseling and education. The Lunalilo Scholars program expanded to include teaching. Bravo began to teach Pacific Island students in their first year of college. Outside of teaching and counseling, Bravo works with Filipino American students on campus. From food and dance to even attire, she is passionate about  sharing Filipino-American culture and creating a place to belong.

“Ana was very welcoming,” said Filipino student Erwin Laroco, now a political science major at UH Mānoa who took Bravo’s class, [IS108: Foundation for College Success]. “She made me feel safe and pretty much like I belong. There would be projects that we’d do in class, it would go back into my family’s back round. When I wasn’t certain of what life was like [in the Philippines], I could always refer to her. She made it inviting to talk about and was someone I could look up to if I needed reassurance.”

While she was open to many different experiences in her life, preparation Bravo believes is the key to the outcome of her journey. Taking turns and overcoming obstacles she never would have imagined possible, she finally gets to live out her purpose and helps students to do the same.

“Through different opportunities, I was able to prepare myself,” she said. “Finally when the opportunity presented itself I was ready. People say, ‘The universe just aligns,’ I feel like that was my journey. The energy and the passion that you have and the love that you have for what you do, when you just really put it out there — things always work out somehow.”

If you are interested in the Bayanihan Club, Lunalilo Scholars or Kūlia ma Kapi‘olani, please contact Bravo at abravo@hawaii.edu.