015 - The Ripple Effect with Miles Mariano-Ortilla

Miles Mariano-Ortilla, 2019 Nyah Fellow, youth activist, and head coordinator of the TAP Scholarship Fund, sits down with Leigh-Ann all the way from Ritsumeikan University in Japan. They discuss why he struggles with the label “Filipino-American,” his concept of home as a self-proclaimed wanderer, and why he’s passionate about education access for all. Also find out how his Nyah Project experience inspired him to create a scholarship program in the Philippines, and more!

"It's one of my principles that education is a human right, and that everyone deserves a fair and equal education, not only in the US or in the Philippines, but everywhere in the world." - Miles Mariano-Ortilla

They discuss:

• Importance of service to youth

• Being on a joint-degree program between Ritsumeikan University in Japan and American University in Washington, D.C. 

• Navigating different cultural identities as both Filipino and American, in Miami and beyond

• His love for spontaneity and adventure to experience new places

• Leadership identity and how he prefers to lead from the back

• The influences of his Nyah Project fellowship to Bali, Indonesia, and visits to Stella’s Child, which inspired him to establish his own scholarship program in the Philippines

• Navigating the college application process as a first generation college student in the U.S., and the support he received through Nyah Project’s Access Coaching, especially with interviews and crafting his resume 

• His admiration for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a trailblazer in social activism and pacifism 

• Grassroots activism and local community impact