Irish Laqui: A Filipino American’s personal journey in America, believing that God has paved the road for him from the Philippines

By Ryan Tejero

“My name is Irish Laqui, born on June 12, 1970 in Majayjay, in the Laguna province of the Philippines. I am the youngest of 7 children to my parents, Bienvenido and Adelaida Laqui. My father had been back and forth from the Philippines to the United States working as an accountant with international accounts in the U.S. He was very familiar with the lifestyle in America and his dream was to live in the United States with his wife and 7 kids. It wasn’t an easy task by any means. He had to become a U.S. citizen first, and then he would be able to bring the rest of us.”

Irish remembers a lot of challenges prior to migrating to the US. He recalls “back in the early seventies, the process of petitioning family members to come to the States was not as lengthy as it is today, but it was still expensive! My father only had enough money to bring my mom and me. My father became a U.S. citizen and petitioned my mother to live in the States. Since I was only 2 years old, I was able to join her in becoming a U.S. citizen through the Naturalization process. The three of us settled in Chicago, IL in 1973. My father didn’t forget about the rest of my siblings. Having the challenge of limited funds, my siblings were hindered in their arrival until 1975. At last, my dad had fulfilled his dream! But in all dreams, there are always challenges.”

Living in America was surely not always easy. One has to work hard to bring money to the table. There are a lot of adjustments to make. Irish says that “with so many of us to support, money had always been a challenge with my parents. My dad took the Public Accounting exam and after passing, held a position as a C.P.A. in an accounting firm in downtown Chicago. My mom had gone into the workforce as well, taking positions in various banks but finally settling at the Northern Trust Bank downtown. Their hard work always had a positive effect on us. Not only having a great work ethic, but also being humble knowing where we came from.”

Knowing what you want in life, coupled with hard work and loving what you do are some traits that make one achieves success. Irish has a taste of this, and he says “back when I was in grade school, I was adamant in saying, “I will never take a job like my dad.” Reason being, was the amount of stress it took on him but he enjoyed his work. And now, at 44 years of age, I am Chief Financial Officer for a private construction firm in Broadview, IL. And I absolutely adore my job! But it wasn’t an easy road. I took my first job at 15, worked my way through High School and through College where I met the woman of my dreams and have been happily married for 16 years and counting. We have four children, Marissa, Lance, and twins Kyle and Kacy. Some might say we are living the dream, but it wouldn’t and couldn’t happen without our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The best accomplishments are still yet to be done, but now I have my own family to help me experience them.

The experience of this journey from a third world country to the land of opportunity has made Irish appreciate the value of having dreams though some days, seem to be far-fetched. Being a Filipino immigrant in America makes him believe that one can achieve anything that you set your heart out to do. Because of God’s grace, he said “I am a living example that dreams can come true.”

“In all that you do, always put God first, so that He may bless your efforts with success.”

About the Author: Ryan Tejero is a Chicago-based journalist, where he is writes a monthly column on “Club President,” for a Filipino American newsmagazine, Via Times. He is also currently the Editor-in-Chief of the national newsletter of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations. Overseas, Ryan co-founded, and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the online newsletter, Pinoy Sa Romania, which is the first newsletter of the Filipino community in Romania. He also maintains a column on “Spotted Filipino on the Map,” for a Filipino newsmagazine, Pasa Pinoy in Melbourne, Australia. Ryan graduated from the University of the Philippines with Philosophy and Political Science majors.

About the Column: This column is an opportunity for Asian Americans anywhere in the US to speak about the real-life experiences as an immigrant. Please email the author to express interest to include your Asian American encounters in this column, ryantejero@yahoo.com.