May is Asian Pacific American Heritage (API) Month in the U.S., a time to celebrate and recognize the contributions and achievements of Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.

Learn more from Nico, Customer Experience Manager, who shares a bit of his API heritage with us. 

Tell us about your API heritage. 

I was born on the island of the Philippines, in the central part of Luzon, and lived there until I was 11 years old. Although most of my family is from the Philippines, my father worked for the Department of Defense, so we moved around within the Pacific area to places such as Guam, Saipan, Hawaii, and South Korea. I lived most of my teenage years in South Korea and finally moved to the U.S. mainland where I attended college at Liberty University in Virginia. I began my career at Enterprise as a Management Trainee in Fort Walton Beach, FL, until I became the Customer Experience Manager in Pensacola, FL.

How do you celebrate your API Heritage?

I celebrate my API Heritage through authentic food and travel. Island food is one of the things I miss very much. I take pride in making my two favorite Filipino dishes, adobo and lumpia. I also enjoy different varieties of fresh poke as well as garlic shrimp. Traveling back to Hawaii once a year and exploring different places on the island is something I truly enjoy doing with my family.

Is there an API person who inspires you?

My dad is a huge inspiration in my life, his ethnicity didn’t stop him from being successful in his profession. He climbed the ladder in his career. He worked hard for our family, he never gave up and provided a great life for our family.  He started from the streets of the Philippines, and made his way into an amazing career, which is truly inspirational.

What brought you to Enterprise, and what keeps you here?

I truly believe that Enterprise is the best company in the world. This company has shown me that if you work hard and perform, the reward will follow. I love what I do and the people I work with. I want to continue to grow professionally and help others around me achieve their goals.

We thank Nico for his contributions to Enterprise and for sharing his API heritage story!