Page Title
Editor's corner/ Over a cup of tea
Heidi M. Pascual*
Publisher & Editor
* 2006 Journalist of the
Year for the State of
Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA)

                                        THANK YOU, MADISON!

      I arrived in Madison, Wisconsin as an immigrant in 1998, with so much excitement and positive
expectations -- probably the same way most immigrants to the great U.S.A. felt the first time their feet
touched the American soil. I came to pursue my own American Dream, whatever that meant, although
perhaps patterned after my mother’s American Dream in 1968 when she landed in Chicago. Thirty
years later when I came to Madison, I wasn’t really focused yet on planning any career path for
myself.  All I knew was that I would land a good job, own a house and a car, finish my PhD, get my
children, fully assimilate in the American society, and we’ll live happily ever after. It didn’t occur to me
how difficult it would be to accomplish any of those, because my self-confidence was actually more
than was necessary. After all, I thought I was fully armed -- with a post-grad degree from a premier
university in Southeast Asia, years of work experience relevant in either government or private jobs,
commitment to working hard, and  international travels on official missions on the side.
     My first years in Madison were not bad at all, though. I was hired by the late civil rights leader
Betty Franklin Hammonds as her assistant editor in her weekly newspaper. It was during this period
when I was introduced to the problems being faced by African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans,
and other people of color. It was kind of an educational journey for me, being right in the middle of the
“real thing,” because Ms. Franklin, my mentor, was former head of the local Urban League and the
NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). When Ms. Franklin passed
away in April 1999, I stayed on in her newspaper for several more years, meeting her friends as well
as others, and learning more and more about publishing and marketing. I thank Ms. Franklin’s
colleague and best friend, Jon Gramling, for showing me the ropes when he assumed Ms. Franklin’s
position as editor. Jon was, and still is, my role model -- a prolific writer, a great photographer, and an
extraordinary layout artist. In many ways, we inspired each other’s work, and we, too, became the best
of friends. Jon has always been a “community property,” a civil rights worker who has worked side by
side with local great leaders from the African American and Latino communities in Madison and
neighboring areas.
     In 2005, I started my own magazine, Asian Wisconzine, confident that it was the right time for us
Asian Americans in Wisconsin to have our own publication in English, a unifying motive clearly
evident in its content from the start. My journey with this magazine has been wonderful, because
every edition gave me and my readers new information, varied experiences, and even cultural
similarities, about our different Asian communities. While it was full of challenges, particularly when
the recession came, I say Asian Wisconzine has fulfilled its unwritten promise not only to me but to
many Asian Americans in our state – a venue where our issues and stories take the center stage. And
through its online edition, Asian Wisconzine will live on.
     In other words, my American Dream took its own shape and meaning. I’d say I was successful in a
number of significant outcomes. I set aside the fact that I was able to buy a condo twice and until most
recently owned two cars … I guess I have decided they were not supposed to be part of my meaningful
American Dream! I was successful in gaining lots of good friends in Madison, Dane County and
Milwaukee, and THAT alone was an achievement worthy of the label, I think. I started my own
business and won several awards that recognized my contributions to society  -- as a journalist and a
community leader – and the feeling I got each time was heavenly. I can’t remember any similar
moment in my life, except when I received an outstanding employee award long time ago. Those feats
took a lot of hard work and dedication, virtues that I thank my mom greatly for. I was unable to get my
PhD at UW (too expensive and time consuming for a small business owner) and get my children (years
of waiting have doubled, I guess), but this isn’t the end of the line. I have always been patient and I
trust the Lord for whatever direction He leads me to. I know that I can’t have everything I want in life;
but I will always have what I need.
     And what I need are people and things that matter to me, that make me happy, and that make my
life's journey extra special – my friends and readers in Wisconsin), my family and friends in the
Philippines, my siblings in Chicago and Houston, Asian Wisconzine, and The Capital City Hues.
     Now I know I can have not only an American Dream, but a globalized one, which could give me the
most opportunity to touch more people's lives. Meanwhile, I'll start with my neighbors in North
Fairview, Quezon City -- women and girls first -- who do not even know how to use the computer!
     Thank you, Madison, for allowing me to grow further, for giving me the best of friends in my life; for
the technical expertise I acquired in desktop publishing and web designing/maintenance; for
unlearning a lot of bad education influenced by Western media and movies in the Philippines before I
immigrated to America; and for learning how to be a community property, too. Thank you for making me
realize an American Dream that is much more significant than material things.