Sennen Querijero
11th grade
Community High School, Ann Arbor
Hi, my name is Sennen Querijero. I am half Filipino and have lived in Michigan my whole life. I joined this project because I am passionate about improving public education to include the voices of marginalized groups. But beyond that, I have always felt underrepresented in my identity and culture, and I wanted to highlight the experiences of Filipino American voices that often go unheard. In my free time I like to write poetry, crochet, and watch video essays on Youtube.
Caroline Semrau was born in Manila, Philippines, in 1971, immigrating to the US just two years after she was born. Caroline lived in New Jersey, Texas, California, and Bolivia before moving to Michigan. She is currently a teacher in Ann Arbor. Her video is tied to themes of identity, culture, and family.
In this interview, Vania McAllister reflected on her childhood in the Philippines and how they immigrated to the United States when she was 9. Her father was Filipino, but he was born in New York, so his citizenship made it easy for them to move to California. It was overwhelming for her at first, and she distinctly remembers how cold it was compared to the weather back home. She shares some of her favorite Filipino traditions and foods, and discusses the presence of Filipino restaurants in Michigan.