Armless pilot Jessica Cox, NBA coach Eric Spoelstra among 2012 inspiring Fil-Ams

Everyday many Filipino Americans perform wondrous acts of courage and kindness.  Five achievers from different sectors hit a milestone in 2012 while outdoing themselves year after year and embracing their Filipino heritage with each triumph.  Philippine News, a content partner of GMA News Online, presents the 2012 Inspiring Filipino Americans.* ERIC SPOELSTRA Florida “Spo,” as colleagues in the National Basketball Association call Eric Spoelstra, is the first Filipino American to coach a North American pro ball team and an NBA team.  He is the first to win a league championship when he led the Miami Heat to victory in June 2012. Coach Spo was born in Evanston, Illinois, to NBA executive father Jon Spoelstra and the former Elisa Celino, originally from San Pablo, Laguna. His grandfather was sportswriter Watson Spoelstra. Filipino American fans admire him for always identifying as one of them and constantly visiting the land of his mother’s birth.  Philippine fans love him for identifying as their own. On his fourth trip to Manila last year, he met President Benigno Aquino III  in Malacanan and presented an autographed jersey. Spo played varsity basketball in Portland, Oregon where he grew up and fraduated from Jesuit High School in 2008.  He started as point guard from the University of Portland Pilots from 1992-1996. He reportedly was known for his accurate three-point shots and free throws as well as his record-breaking assists. Like his dad, he eventually made his way to the big league. In  1995, he joined the Miami Heat as video coordinator.  He earned his way up to  assistant coach/director of scouting in 2001.  While there, he had a formidable mentor in legendary head coach Pat Riley, who led the LA Lakers to many championships. When Riley left the team, Spoelstra took over, but not without demurrers, especially when the Heat played bridesmaid to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. This year Spo proved his detractors wrong.  Big time.   JAY AND SHIRLEY MERCADO California Life is enough of a challenge being female where men often rule.  Being a woman of color is doubly challenging for FilAm females, therefore.  Which is why gay women of color choose to stay in the closet, avoiding judgments and assumptions about their lifestyles. Many gay people have taken their own lives not knowing how to address their situation. For Jay and Shirley Mercado to tell their story in June speaks to their love for each other and their courage to face critics who say they are breaking every rule. The fact of the matter is that if not for their same gender, the couple is as conventional as most, working hard as an insurance broker (Jay) and day care center operator (Shirley).  They are parents to twin sons, their biological children.  Jay’s mother lives with them.  They are active members of their parish, whose leader wrote a letter endorsing their relationship in the couple’s effort to attain permanent residence status for Shirley. They do not hide their sexual orientation or their relationship, though they would rather not encounter negative remarks such as those contained in a letter to the editor reacting to the publication of their story. On their side are U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein and U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, who filed a bill to allow Shirley Mercado to remain in this country as the spouse of a U.S. citizen. The Mercados are advocating for repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act defining the union legal only between man and woman.  They also want to overturn Proposition 8, the California law that nullified same-sex unions officiated in 2004 by then-S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom.     Same-sex marriage is legal in eight states plus the District of Columbia.  California is among 10 states that recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships, which allow limited state-level rights and benefits. “Plain and simply: Discrimination is unconstitutional.  We all should have the same right to marry whomever we love,” Jay Mercado declared why they oppose to the two laws. The Mercados are sharing their story not just for themselves but to give an accurate depiction of same-sex relationships. If they were able to change their own families’ attitude, they are open to try and educate others, they said. ADAM JACOBS New York Broadway performer Adam Jacobs already had stars in his eyes as a young boy who traces his roots to Binalonan in Pangasinan, hometown of his mother Abby Sorio Jacobs. In the late 1980s, Jacobs’ paintings were exhibited in his hometown of Half Moon Bay, California.  Philippine News featured the strapling’s works and predicted a bright future for the Filipino American. True enough. Last year, Jacobs portrayed the role of Simba in Julie Traymor’s staging of Lion King on The Great White Way.  The performance caps the actor-singer-dancer’s upwardly mobile career.  In the spring Jacobs will play the title role Zorro in the upcoming musical production of Zorro at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta from April 3 to May 5. On Sunday, Dec. 9, he joined colleagues in Beyond The Storm, a benefit concert at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in New Jersey, for those affected by the recent disaster on the east coast. The show was billed as a “show of community strength and compassion.”  Indeed, it reunited the subject and the author of the PNews story from two decades back. “Yes I am that same painter kid from Half Moon Bay all those years ago,” Jacobs in an un-diva stance immediately replied to an email inquiry.  “I haven't kept up with the painting, but I imagine I'll turn back to it at some point.” Reminded of his role model stature, Jacobs hinted at humility. “It's always strange to think of yourself as a role model, but I'm happy to be able to give aspiring thespians any inspiration and hope that I can. I've made a lot of headway in terms of non-traditional casting, and it's possible that it's just a trend in the industry that I've been able to capitalize on, but I'd like to think that the overall mentality is changing...that talent, merit and hard work can count for more and will continue to do so. The opportunities are there and you shouldn't let color stand in your way.” Headed by creative directors Kelli Rabke Agresta and Alexander Diaz, the event boasted “world’s best tap dancer Savion Glover, poet Carlos Andrés Goméz, plus established Broadway stars including…Adam Jacobs…” All participants “graciously donated” their time and talent.  Tickets $100 sold fast. One hundred percent of proceeds were donated to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, Pet ResQ and the school districts of Moonachie & Little Ferry. Jacobs’ next big gig is a Valentine concert with Ali Ewoldt at Town Hall 8 p.m. Saturday, February 23. “It will be an evening of Broadway love songs and duets,” he said.  But first, something new:  “I start fencing lessons after Christmas!” he announced. JESSICA COX Arizona Driving and playing the piano can be learned, but not everyone can do both.  Unlike Jessica Cox, who has no arms.  And what she has managed to do despite being armless exceeds most able people’s imagination. Last summer she was acclaimed a modern-day hero by the Philippine Consulate General and the San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee at its Philippine Independence Day gala at the San Francisco City Hall. The Filipino American was born 29 years ago in Arizona to the Inez Macabare Cox without arms due to a rare birth defect. As a child, she learned how to sit at table and enjoy a meal.  Or apply makeup and contact lenses. Cox drives (no modification needed on the vehicle) and types (25 words a minute). She pumps her own gas.  She also scuba dives. In 2008 she earned her pilot’s license. And now she travels around the world to encourage others to live up to their potential.  So far she has raised the morale of people in 17 countries.  Including her maternal ancestral country, the Philippines. Cox heads up the Jessica Cox Motivational Services in Tucson founded in 2005. She is the subject of Rightfooted, a documentary about her ability to overcome every barrier she has had to face. “Rightfooted will detail Jessica's life, marriage, mentorship and outreach,” said Patrick Chamberlin, Cox’s life and business partner.  “It is being made entirely through donations, made through our fiscal sponsor the International Documentary Association.  Gifts made in support of the project are tax deductible. However it is still in need of generous donors.” For more information visit http://www.rightfootedmovie.com. “Think outside the shoe” is Rightfooted’s motto. “As a person who has never viewed herself as a victim of her condition, Jessica shares humorous stories of struggles and success living in a ‘twohanded’ world. She provides critical insight on how best to approach a challenge, redefining the concept of innovative thinking. She helps people reconnect with their own inner strengths and aptitudes.”  ROBERT SCOTT Virginia Virginia representative to the United States House of Representatives Robert “Bobby” Scott won his 11th term on the Legislature Nov. 6, a feat unto itself. The Democrat is also the first Filipino American member of Congress, who proudly states the fact on his website: “Having a maternal grandfather of Filipino ancestry also gives Rep. Scott the distinction of being the first American with Filipino ancestry to serve as a voting member of Congress.” Scott, 65, is his state’s first African American legislator since the Reconstruction, or the period after abolition of slavery.  He is only the second African American representative of the Commonwealth of Virginia in state history. First elected in 1993, he serves on the Committee on the Judiciary and is ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. He also serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. The Harvard College and Boston College Law School alum began his political career as a Virginia House delegate from 1978 to 1983 and then as state senator from 1983 to 1993. Scott takes pride in his record as “a champion of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, fighting to protect the rights and civil liberties of all Americans.” He touts his campaign to “protect the right of all children with disabilities to obtain a free and appropriate education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA” when he led the defeat of “amendments aimed at curtailing that right for some children.” When Filipino WWII veterans march to the capitol to advocate for equal benefits as promised in their wartime recruitment, they make sure to call on Scott, who makes himself available. He has aligned himself with the freedom fighters’ quest for equity. - Philippine News *The Philippine News editorial board selects the 2012 Inspiring Newsmakers, named  minus the typical “most outstanding” label that takes away from those who perform similar acts away from the spotlight.