Message froM the President and Ceo

Dear Friends:

The meaning of the “American Dream” has evolved through generations: from Baby Boomers owning a house, to Millenials thriving in a commune, to Gen Z youth basking in experiences instead of material possessions.

Immigrant Filipinos – Fiesta In America’s core audience – have their own notion of “living the dream.” It is shaped by their struggles in the United States as newcomers. It is shored up by putting a premium on education. It is won by skill, hard work, sacrifice and pluck.

Fiesta In America celebrates the “Filipino American Dream,” which takes peculiar forms that only immigrants could recognize. It can mean landing a high-paying job despite the barriers imposed on newcomers-of-color. It can imply putting kids through the best U.S. colleges, and having the extra income to provide for loved ones back home, and the resources to invest in a Philippine business or real estate.

Unrealistic? Demographic data have proven otherwise. Filipinos rank second in median household income among all U.S. population groups, regardless of race. According to Pew Research Center, 41 percent of foreign-born Filipinos have a Bachelor’s degree vs. 20 percent of all Americans, and 65 percent of immigrant Filipinos live in owner-occupied homes vs. 59 percent of all Asians in the U.S.

No venue for our 26th Anniversary reflects Filipinos’ purchasing power better than New Jersey’s American Dream. The venue’s gleaming atriums, stores and dining places seem to say, “You’ve made it in America.” Our exhibitors – franchisers led by the Elite Club Pinoy; leisure travel to Ilocos Norte and other Philippine tourist havens; investments in Philippine real estate, and others – affirm a singular message. If you’re willing to work hard, to use your smarts and leverage your education, no one can stop you from living the Filipino American Dream.

Sincerely,

Nanding Mendez