Stephwaxpoetic is my personal blog where I write as a hobby. I’m a biracial first generation Filipina-American, and as such, I’m always in the process of re-examining how to fully engage and identify with others amid our shared sense of space. This blog was started as a way for me to unpack my experiences and share some fun observations and travel photos I have taken.

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More about me:

• I’m an airforce brat. Like many TCKs, I often struggle with the concept of “home.” When people ask me where I’m from, I usually answer depending on how I’m feeling that day. Sometimes it’s Japan, the Philippines, New Mexico, Washington D.C., Washington State, or Maryland. More often than not, I just say that I’m from all over and leave it at that.
• I often daydream of what my next meal will be. My ultimate goal is to make a cake that tastes better than the ones from Wegmans!
• I’m avid reader- I take part in a few reading challenges throughout the year and use goodreads.com to keep track of books I’ve read and want to read.
• I hold a dual bachelor’s degree in government and history from New Mexico State University, and a master’s degree in international relations from American University’s School of International Service (SIS).

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I believe that one of the main ways to bridge gaps in cross-cultural empathy and understanding is to journey out of one’s comfort zone, and I try to create personal connections everywhere I go. I am passionate about decolonizing international education, women and children’s rights, identity politics, and how post-imperialism and colonialism shape the Asian diaspora.

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Teaching as a grad student in the US and then abroad in China for a few years has been an incredibly humbling experience. One of my main goals when I was teaching in the classroom (or virtual classroom over the pandemic) was to incorporate lessons on having tolerance and respect for others. Another was to show that it is possible to build connections with people from all over and find commonality, and although I am no longer a faculty member, I still try to use the lessons I have learned from those times within my everyday life.

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Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog!

Steph ❤