Honoring Histories: Filipino American History Month

by Estrella Sung, CPSM

To celebrate Filipino American History Month, observed each October, we spoke with Estrella Sung, CPSM, Marketing Manager at Säzän Group, Inc. about her cultural heritage and experience as a marketer in the A/E/C world.

How did you find your way into this industry? Have you always been a marketer?

As many of us have experienced, my entry into the industry wasn’t deliberate, I kind of fell into it.
I graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in communications and imagined I would go into advertising, so I interned at an international agency in Southern California during the summer in my senior year and quickly decided it wasn’t for me.

I returned to Seattle with dreams of becoming a web designer, but that industry wasn’t quite the right fit for me either. Then while working at a jewelry store as a side gig, I met my future husband. He was the one who encouraged me to apply for a lead graphic designer job with a large environmental engineering firm so I could date him on the weekends. You could say I did it for love!

What are your favorite parts of your job?

Because I’m an extreme extravert, I love working with smart, hardworking people who want to do something great with their talents. Whether it’s to design, serve their community, or be a kickass engineer!

How do you think your Filipina heritage has shaped your marketing career or even marketing approach?

Currently I work for a small, minority-owned firm. I started to realize how much of my network I wasn’t tapping into until the past couple of years. I’m so grateful Säzän’s VP of Business Development, Roy Nudo, has been mentoring me on this as I’ve advanced in my career.

I’ve met so many wonderful people in this industry who embrace diversity and inclusion. I think the diversity part has been emphasized with many of the firms I’ve marketed for in the past decade, and recently, I’m seeing more of the inclusion part of the equation. Maybe because I’m now keenly aware of it, as a Filipina (or Pinay as we like to call ourselves) I’ve made it a point to be more deliberate about my choices in staffing, marketing collateral representation, or even participation in organizations. This past month I’ve joined the board of the Filipino Construction Professionals of Washington, and it’s broadening my perspective on how much our community can make a positive change within the AEC industry.

What does Filipino American History Month mean to you?

Our Seattle Filipino American community in particular is very fortunate to have the pioneers of the Filipino American National Historical Society based here. Since taking Asian American studies classes at the UW, the late Dr. Fred Cordova and his wife, Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova, shaped much of my identity and strong ties to our common heritage. The two events that empowered me more than any others in our struggle to be “seen” are these:

1. Auntie Dorothy presenting Filipino American Heritage Month in the first celebration at the White House in 2015.

2. The Smithsonian 2017 short film on the immigrant experience that quotes powerful passages from “America is in the Heart” by author and activist, Carlos Bulosan.

What brought you to SMPS? How long have you been a member?

My past role as a marketing manager for large architecture firm Gensler allowed me to get involved in professional organizations such as SMPS. It was the first time I had any formal training in this industry for marketing and after a year, I earned my CPSM. I’ve been a member for more than 10 years now.

We loved the graphic you posted on LinkedIn about the Filipino population in Washington State. Were there any statistics that stood out to you? Are there any businesses or organizations that you’d like to highlight?

There are encouraging statistics about gender pay equality in our Filipino American community. I’m proud to say we are forward-leaning in compared to the country at large. In addition to the organizations I’ve mentioned above, I want to put a plug in for my favorite woman-owned bakery, All Purpose Cake Co. What’s great is I know and have worked with Ivi and Val in the AEC industry, too. Check out their works of art if you have a moment. My favorites are the COCO and Mango cakes!  https://www.allpurposecakeco.com/

Is there anything else you’d like to share about youself, maybe your family?

This past year has been a real eye-opener in terms of our “new normal” for work. I’m thinking about those partners and professionals whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with at SMPS and in the industry as a whole. If anything, I’d like to add that taking a break for coffee or lunch, virtual or otherwise, has been a joy and great opportunity to connect on a personal level. To that end, I’d encourage you all to participate in an SMPS Roundtable or be a mentor/mentee through our MULTIPLY Mentorship program. I’ve learned so much from my peers these past two years and enjoyed every minute of it!