I saw the need for diversity!
By Anabel Marquez | Photos by Rachel Carrillo
She’s Rising Filipinas!
Therese Miu is an entrepreneur, executive and dynamic leader widely recognized for her ability to lead organizational transformations on the leading edge of people and culture. She’s also the founder of the nonprofit organization, Rising Filipinas.
Born in the Philippines and raised in the San Gabriel Valley, Therese has dedicated her career to equipping the next generation of leaders with educational, leadership and financial resources.
“We have a community now in all areas of Los Angeles so the next step is partnering with organizations…and making sure our programs are running well,” she explains.
Miu’s drive to help others started when she lived in New York City. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara she moved to the Big Apple, where she held leadership roles and worked for Fortune 500 corporations and startups, to educational and non-profit organizations.
She was thriving in the corporate world but there was something off, she recalls.
Therese was craving more diversity. She was driven by a mission to build workplace cultures rooted in shared values and purpose, cultures that work for everyone while enhancing performance, she says.
“I saw the need for diversity” Miu says. “I wasn’t seeing anyone that looked like me or even had an accent like me and I got sick of that!”
The desire to diversify the circles of professionals and creatives she was a part of— made her launch her first women-led creative agency, Fire Dash Media. With the success of the agency, it was very clear for Miu that she had started something powerful.
“The more you’re empowering the woman, the more you’re empowering the household, the more you’re empowering the children,” she would explain to partners and investors.
After the COVID-19 global pandemic, Miu and her family returned to Los Angeles. She had been homeschooling her three children, currently 17, 11 and 9 years old. And she decided with her husband that it was time to return to California to spend more time with her parents.
With her return to the San Gabriel Valley she also brought along her enthusiasm to continue helping the Filipino community. She had grown her network and had gained plenty of experience to continue building her organization in the same city she grew up.
“Relationships are your biggest currency,” says Miu. “Nurture that and honor that!”
Under Miu’s leadership, Rising Filipinas received a Chase Bank Business grant and continues offering mentorship programs for young women to encourage self-love and creativity. The organization also hosts workshops on entrepreneurship plus mindset SEL (Social Emotional Learning skills) and financial literacy as well as community outreach events. Through these efforts, Miu is aiming to help women break out and find their voice in order to achieve their full potential.
“I want to see more Filipina, AAPI, BIWOC entrepreneurs making waves, creating new solutions, and bridging the gap in generational wealth,” she explains.
As Therese Miu continues to break barriers and uplift others, fellow moms can learn from her example and strive to create a better future for themselves, their families and their communities. Rising Filipinas and the work of Miu serves as a reminder that no dream is too big and no community is too small when we work together towards a common goal.
“If ever there was a time in which strengthening our communities, supporting fresh leadership, building trust, and taking care of each other were paramount, it’s now. I’m all about empowering and uplifting the AAPI + Filipino community through various initiatives and projects,” says Miu.
“The more you have that shared connections, celebrating diversity, culture, and understanding people the more you can elevate each other’s voices. And show up bigger, bolder, and more intentional”