The most common incentive for the members of the Filipino MT diaspora whether they will admit to it or not is the money. It is
an arduous process for our medical technologists – taking another licensure examination (AMT, ASCP), applying for a work visa, seeking
an employer willing to sponsor you, maintaining that visa and later applying for a green card, and just enduring the everyday grind of the
workplace. Not to mention the hardships experienced by every OFW – being away from family, enduring blatant prejudice at times, and
struggling through the first few months of virtual penury as loans are paid off and living arrangements are settled. Anthony Rey Dinsay from
the class of 2000, affectionately known to his former students as ‘Sir Ard,’ tells me of his early days in a rural town of Texas. “America can
make or break you,” he was told by an old lady sitting next to him on the flight from Hong Kong to JFK Airport. He eventually arrived in the
Texas town where he was to work, a place he had never heard of before – population 4,000, with one grocery store, two gas stations. He
tells me of his feelings of isolation and loneliness that often brought him to tears. His mode of transportation? An electric scooter with a
max speed of 15mph, that would break down in 45 degree weather leaving him to trudge to work cold and wet; questioning his reasons for
coming here in the first place. But he also tells me of the kindness of strangers in this small town – co-workers and new friends lending him
furniture and a helping hand, welcoming him into the fold of his new environment, easing the sting of being separated from all that is familiar.

Florence Pasturan (Class of 2005) says that being here has given more meaning to every minute she is fortunate enough to share
with her family; a deeper appreciation of moments that in the past may have been taken for granted. Sir Ard came here as many do – to
create a better life for himself, to be financially independent, to pursue his version of the American Dream and over time it seems he has
come realize that goal, moving out of the small town and to a bigger city, a better house, with a better mode of transportation - no more
electric scooters. Sasha Palo-Cabase, class of 2003, tells me she came here for similar reasons, and being a mother she has more to think
about- a better life for her son, one with more opportunities. She admits that she once had a vision of the American Dream that consisted
of a big house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, central air conditioning, a riding lawnmower in the tool shed, a shiny new car in the
driveway. Sasha tells me that the one thing she realized she values most is not material acquisitions, but time– the time to spend with the
people who matter most. Like many other MTs she does not intend to stay here for good, but instead plans to retire in the Philippines. Sir Ard
as well, intends to go back home and back to his first love- teaching. Others, like Lucille Saile, class of 2002, and Harry Mendoza, class of
2003 intend to use some of their earnings to invest in businesses in the Philippines . It seems there will always be no other place like home.

Do you regret coming here? The answer is a resounding ‘no’. Despite the difficulties, America has given them the
opportunity to grow as people and as professionals in their field. It has brought out the best in them, the worst in some, but in either case – a
greater self awareness. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – it appears the American dream is still very much alive.