COMMUNITY
May 1, 2017
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 9
Supportive community, pride in
heritage inspire Metro West Princess
By Maileen Hamto
The Asian Reporter
ichaela Canete holds the distinc-
tion of being the first Metro
West Princess to represent both
Century High School and the City of
Hillsboro on the Rose Festival Court.
Earning the princess crown out of the
competitive roster of talented young
women from Washington County high
schools, Michaela remains humble and
grounded.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to tell the
Portland area about Century High School
and the Hillsboro community,” she said.
“I’m grateful for the encouragement and
support of the community.”
Michaela,
who
was
born
in
Mandaluyong, near the Philippine capital
of Manila, immigrated with her family to
the United States when she was seven
years old. The transition hasn’t always
been easy, but she learned much from the
challenges of acculturating to her adopted
home. Michaela said she feels grateful to
be part of the supportive Filipino-Ameri-
can family and community in the area.
“As a Filipina growing up in the U.S., I
have been bullied,” Michaela says. “There
have been instances when the color of my
skin has affected the way people look at
me. As time went by, I developed a support
system, and embraced my culture.”
Establishing roots in Washington
County, the Canetes have maintained a
deep sense of ethnic pride as well as strong
connections to the local community.
Michaela is not only active in her school,
but has also served as a City of Hillsboro
intern and a member of the city’s Youth
Advisory Council.
“Hillsboro’s community slogan is ‘Grow
great things,’” she said. “I am most proud
of the sense of welcome in this community,
particularly for its diverse population. It’s
a community where people want to come
and stay.”
“While I see myself travelling in the
Photo courtesy of Michaela Canete
Photo/Prince Charming Photography
M
ETHNIC PRIDE & COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS. Michaela Canete (left photo) is seen with her family (right photo, clockwise from top left — Michaela,
mother Eleanor, father Larry, sister Krystella Charmaine, and brother Bryce) in a photo taken during a family Christmas gathering. Canete is representing Century High
School as its 2017 Rose Festival princess. The Portland Rose Festival’s Queen’s Coronation takes place Saturday, June 10 at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
future,” she said. “Hillsboro will always be
home. It will always provide safety and a
sense of community.”
Travelling back to the Philippines in
2013 has opened Michaela’s eyes to the
reality of poverty and lack of access among
Filipinos in the homeland.
“Everything has changed. The poverty
level has increased,” she said. “A little boy
came to the car as we were sitting in traffic.
He was asking for money. I don’t think any
kid should ever have to beg for money on
the street because they don’t have food.”
“One of the things I want to do later in
life is to help the Philippines and assist
any way I can to decrease poverty and help
children further their education.”
One of Michaela’s more immediate goals
involve attending Oregon State University
to pursue her studies in the health and
sciences field. She is inspired by the work
of biomedical researchers, particularly
those who work on investigating cures for
childhood cancer.
At Oregon State, she plans to double
major in biochemistry and education. “I
love science and I have also always had the
passion to teach and work directly with
children,” she said.
Beyond her community leadership and
science acumen, Michaela also is co-cap-
tain of the Century High School dance
team. She started out on the cheer squad
during her freshman and sophomore
years, but suffered a concussion. The
dance team welcomed the talented and
energetic Michaela with open arms.
“Dance is an amazing sport. We work
really hard,” she said. “And we have great
fun.”
During last fall’s assembly, Michaela
developed and led a routine that involved
Century football players and cheerleaders.
“It was fun to see this 6’3” linebacker
performing a dance routine, in front of the
entire school. Everyone loved it.”
Michaela said she is honored to bring
her energy and creativity to the collection
of young women comprising the Rose
Festival court. Thus far, she credits
“princess training” for focusing on commu-
nication, networking, time management,
and other key life and professional skills.
“The Rose Festival lives up to its theme:
Brilliant,” she said. “The other princesses
are like sisters to me now. The directors,
advisers, and volunteers are simply
brilliant because of all the hard work they
put in. I am truly grateful.”
A Rose Festival princess represents her school and
acts as the “face of the Rose Festival” at many events
in the community, including parades, volunteer
activities, luncheons with community and business
leaders, and more. The Portland Rose Festival
Foundation awards each court member a $3,500
scholarship, courtesy of The Randall Group.
To qualify for the Rose Festival Court, a candidate
must be a full-time junior or senior at a 4A, 5A,
or 6A high school in Multnomah, Washington, or
Clackamas county and have a minimum cumulative
grade point average of 3.0. Potential princesses are
evaluated on citizenship, scholastic achievement,
school activities, civic involvement, volunteer projects,
communication skills, and overall impression.
The Portland Rose Festival Queen is chosen from
all of the court members at Portland’s Veterans
Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, June 10 from
8:30am to 9:30am. To learn more, call (503)
227-2681 or visit <www.rosefestival.org>.
Hmong elders in Eau Claire still searching
Continued from page 8
church community that supports her in
some ways, Yang said. Because she can’t
drive, two missionaries who know some of
the Hmong language pick her up, bring her
to church, and translate what they can of
the service.
Kaj Siab Days also gives her a chance to
get out in the community and socialize in a
language she can understand.
“She likes that she’s able to come and
communicate and build relationships,”
Yang said through Lee, “so she’s not home
alone. She wants the day for her.”
Inside the doors of the Hmong Mutual
Assistance Association on a Kaj Siab Day,
the sounds of quick chatter and laughs as
well as the aroma of traditional food fill the
building.
“If you can hear, they’re super chatty,
but when we play bingo, it’s so quiet,” Lee
said during the most recent wellness day,
laughing.
Kaj Siab Days typically start around
8:00am, Moua said, when he and other
organizers start making rounds to pick up
elders who need transportation. Through-
out the day, the elders play games — bingo
is a favorite — paint, draw, knit, take
excursions into the community, and spend
a lot of time talking with one another.
“A lot of the elders are women, and
they’ve been through so much, from child-
hood to adulthood, through parenthood,
through the war and everything,” Lee said.
“They weren’t able to focus on themselves
and care for themselves, so we wanted to
provide that atmosphere for them to
indulge in whatever.”
In the summer months, the elders
maintain a garden to keep a sense of their
old life, Moua said, and get some exercise.
A big part of the program, Moua and Lee
said, is education on current events in the
Eau Claire community and around the
nation. At previous wellness days, the
elders have trekked to UW-Eau Claire to
meet with Hmong students, learned about
the history of the Civil Rights Movement
for Martin Luther King Day, and have
gone as a group to vote.
On April 14, the elders took a tour of the
Eau Claire Police Department and asked
questions of Hmong officers. The elders
asked about translation services should
they ever need to call 911 or report a crime,
and some mentioned they felt safer after
q
Passenger who was dragged off jetliner settles with United
Continued from page 7
depositions, motions, court hearings.”
He said Dao was also impressed that
“United stepped up to the plate.”
The incident arose from a common air
travel issue — a fully booked flight.
Wanting to seat four crew members, the
airline offered passengers $400 and later
$800 to voluntarily relinquish their seats.
When no one did, United selected four
passengers at random.
Three people got off the flight, but Dao
refused, saying he needed to get home to
treat patients the next day. The airline
then summoned the officers, who forcibly
removed Dao.
The dragging was a major public-
relations crisis for United. The company’s
response in the immediate aftermath was
widely criticized. Munoz first defended the
airline and described Dao as “belligerent”
before publicly apologizing days later and
vowing to do better.
The three airport police officers who
took Dao off the plane were placed on
leave from the Chicago Department of
Aviation.
The agency recently released a report in
which the officer who pulled Dao from his
seat, James Long, gave his version of
events. Long said Dao was verbally and
physically abusive and was flailing his
arms before he lost his balance and struck
his mouth on an armrest.
The department’s roughly 300 officers
guard the city’s two main airports but are
not part of the regular Chicago police force.
They receive less training and cannot
carry guns inside the terminals.
The airline also released a report
detailing mistakes that led to the incident.
United said it would raise to $10,000 the
limit on the payments it offers to
customers who give up seats on oversold
flights and increase training for airline
employees.
The airline has vowed to reduce, but not
eliminate, overbooking.
United representatives have not said
whether ticket sales have dropped since
Dao was removed from the jet.
learning about their options.
“Just be aware that they are here, and
they’re a part of our community,” Lee said.
“You don’t necessarily have to understand
their struggles, but acknowledge that they
do have struggles that are not like main-
stream elders.”
q
China car dilemma:
Beijing wants electric,
buyers want SUVs
Continued from page 5
deciding whether to buy them or develop
their own technology.
“Even by 2020, it’s not going to be a
profitable business,” said John Zeng of
LMC Automotive.
“The industry has to prepare for the
worst case,” said Zeng. “That means you
have to have all the technology ready in
case you need it, but on the other hand,
they don’t want to commercialize it now,
because it is not profitable.”
q
Banned yak meat
smuggled in sweaters seized
Continued from page 7
and other infectious cattle viruses. It
wasn’t clear who was responsible for the
meat shipment. Prohibited seeds and dung
pods were also seized.
Authorities told NBC New York that the
meat was destroyed. The U.S. Customs
and Border Protection agency says
foot-and-mouth disease is a “worldwide
concern that can spread quickly and cause
significant economic damage.”