Page 15 - Manila Up Vol3#7

GLASS TO FIL BY NAIIA LAJOIE

From left to right: Eileen Kim, Michelle Thorlund, Suzanne
Perez, Naiia Lajoie, Erina Lightholder, Christy-Anne, Lopez, Gayle
Velasco, Pamela Saguinsin, and Deanna Pak.
CHRISTY-ANNE LOPEZ
Born of two Filipino immigrants and a native Los
Angelina herself, multi-titleholder and host, Christy EILEEN KIM
-Anne Lopez, tells her story and the importance of Stories of scholastic hardships are common among
promoting her Asian American sisters. the women participating in the day’s shoot. Miss
Christy was born in a predominantly Asian City of Orange 2018 Eileen Kim, a first generation
neighborhood in the South Bay region of LA. Her American of Korean heritage, describes how her
father transferred jobs which moved them inland upbringing in a cloistered environment is what
to the High Desert where, as the only Asian in the ultimately founded her personal platform Let’s Talk –
community, Christy experienced racism for the opening the discussion about prevention of self-harm.
first time. Her elementary school years were laden While going through her own period of self-harm, she
with bullying, and it was not until high school was received by the school nurse who took a look at her
that she transcended the negativity by turning to wounds and laughed. The nurse made a quip about her
performing arts as an outlet for her depression. She obviously being Asian since her cuts were so parallel
took journalism classes and became the emcee for the and straight. To this day her Asian origins continue to
school’s activities. On stage, in front of the camera, be exploited. “There are three of us in our organization:
with mic in hand, it dawned upon her – it did not Miss Orange County, Miss Orange Coast and Miss City
matter what race she was, all that mattered was how of Orange” she explains.
she carried herself. “And if people are going to call me “And [people would address the other queens as],
the Asian girl or the brown girl or the Filipino girl, ‘Orange, orange–’ and then pointed at me and said,
well so be it because – they’re talking about ME! And ‘oh you’re yellow though, right?’” These experiences
they’re saying positive things about me now, because I are what drove Eileen to compete in the Miss America
am putting myself out there to show who I am inside organization, wanting to ensure that society and the
as opposed to what color my skin is or how my face is health care system never fail anyone else the way that it
structured”. did her.

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