From July to October 2023, I volunteered at Damayan, a New York City-based grassroots organization run by Filipino im/migrant workers dedicated to combatting labor trafficking. Every meeting opened with the same reminder: stories shared in this room do not leave it. Illustration became a tool for respecting the privacy of the members, many of whom were undocumented. Avoiding faces, I copied down objects, places, and handwriting.

""Absence Leaves a Mark"" explores illustration as field note when working with migrant populations. Illustrated field notes allow for creative spacing, cropping, and position, and embraces the subjectivity of experience.

My final project is a visual essay about Little Manila, an area in Queens around which Filipino im/migrants have lived for decades. I narrate my experience as a recent immigrant from the Philippines discovering Little Manila, a community that strives to stay visible in the wake of a pandemic and under the threat of gentrification.