A Fresh Start
Angel Alba | Maui High School, Class of 2026
People of the Philippines migrate to Hawai‘i to seek better job opportunities to help support their families and themselves. It was a struggle, however, for a few of them to adapt to an unfamiliar environment. Immigrants settle in an unfamiliar place surrounded by countless people who did not speak the same language as them. Because of this struggle, it made them feel overwhelmed. Although in just a blink of an eye, most of them can manage and overcome those obstacles. Since then, they have considered themselves “Fil-Am”—Filipino Americans.

A student at Maui High School, Safiya Eunice Pascua came from the town of San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte. When moving to Maui, Safiya faced quite a challenge; she states the biggest challenge she faced was “finding and meeting friends.” She also proclaims being surrounded by individuals who are in their own groups made it harder for her when trying to meet new people. “It can be hard for me to feel connected to others in Maui because people there tend to develop close-together groups, frequently based on family and long-term relationships,” Safiya says. At first, it may seem quite a struggle, however putting yourself out there will not be as bad. As for Safiya, it felt isolating at first, even though she has become more at ease over time and has made her own circle of friends.

Heynalyn Balisacan, another student at Maui High School who also came from the town of San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, faced a conflict having to interact with individuals who did not speak the same language as her. It was a huge struggle for her having to process each conversation in her head. Although for Heynalyn to process each discussion going on, she states “speaking slowly to understand the conversation or phrases” helps her focus on the context or hints about what is happening during the discussion she is having with other people around her.
Irish Mae Padilla is a student at Maui High School who came from Quezon City, Manila. She faced a difficult challenge when moving to Hawai‘i, which was having to learn and speak English. Learning English was a challenge for most people, due to the pronunciation, grammar and prestigious vocabulary. Nonetheless, Irish was able to manage and push herself by familiarizing each word and mentally processing them as she went.
Cherish Navarro, a student at Maui High School, came from the town of Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte. Cherish encountered an obstacle when moving to Maui, which was a language barrier. The language barrier is quite common for most individuals when settling in a unique environment with people who did not speak the same language as them. Cherish had come to Maui at the age of seven and suggested “I wasn’t very good at English.” Even though her English was not as grand as others, she had the ability to go forth and continue to improve her English along the way.

Settling in a new community is not as easy once you come across an obstacle. Dodging an obstacle will not do any good because either way you will need to face that same struggle as you go. When adjusting to an unfamiliar area, individuals tend to face countless struggles whether it is building a social network, feeling isolated, adapting to an unfamiliar environment and many more. Putting yourself out there and taking the time to familiarize yourself with the community, surroundings or peers will help them feel more settled in their homes. “A Fresh Start” emphasizes the people who partake in a journey to a new place they are unfamiliar with, how they adapted to their community, as well as overcoming the difficulties they had faced.
Google® Is Not Everything … is a monthly column authored by high school students. The title of the column emphasizes education is more than just googling a topic. Google® is a registered trademark. This month’s guest columnist is Angel Alba, a Junior at Maui High School. She is a Cultural Representative of Maui High’s Filipino Cultural Club, a member of HOSA, Upward Bound and the Filipino folk-dance group “La Galería: Compañía Baile Filipino.” Angel is in the Nursing pathway at Maui High School and aspires to be a pediatric nurse. In her free time, she enjoys creating blogs, building Lego structures, going to the gym, spending time with family and friends, singing karaoke, and watching dramas or any type of movies that have her interest. She is the daughter of Normalita Alba and Pablito Alba Jr.