Mabuhay! My name is Maggie Gonzales born in the Philippines but bred in South East London. For as long as I know I've come from a family of hard workers, my grandparents migrated to London in the 70s where they met each other and now they own and live in a beautiful terrace house in the heart of Peckham.

My dad was born in London but bred in the Philippines where he met my mum at school. They then moved here to start a life for myself and my younger brother. I was always academically inclined, but I was mostly driven to strive for a better future for my family, we've been through some challenging times like getting evicted and living in a 3-star BNB for months during my GCSEs. Now I'm here at Brunel University studying Economics working hard to build something for my family.

In Filipino culture being the first born means I'm the ate (ah-teh) of the family, ate means "older sister". Adopting this identity as an older sister and first-born means there are additional pressures to achieve "success" and being a role model to not only my brother but to many others like my cousins and friends I've met along the way - so I've always taken a mentorship role.

The goal with the Filipino society in the coming years is to create a safe space for the Filipino community and anyone who's just curious about our culture. We're a vibrant array of people - the stereotype is that many Filipinos are nurses, and this could stem from the nature of our culture which is to be hospitable and caring.

I myself have been working in Filipino restaurants (Romulo Cafe and Restaurant in Kensington and Kasa and Kin in Soho) for almost a quarter of my life - since I was 16. Where I've realised not only the beauty of our culture by meeting so many Filipino people over the years but also the potential and diversity of our cuisine. Food is honestly the way to my heart and I want to share more of the Filipino cuisine with the world one day because that's my goal in life to open up a restaurant which emulates the environment I want to create with the society, a safe space filled with delicious food, where everyone feels at home.

Join me on the Podcast, along with my vice president, I'm excited to share the story of our society.