CARLOS MANALO | digital Advancement coordinator

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Pasifika Culture: CHamoru

About Carlos Manalo:

coming soon…

What is your favorite Islander Food?

Too much to list! Most notable foods that bring comfort would be Salmon Kelaguen with hot rice and donne’.
Honorable mentions include: Chamorro Shrimp Tempura, spam fried rice, and when I’m feeling ocean-y and fishy, Tataga (unicorn fish) with hot rice and Fina’denne.
Åhu and Lantiya for dessert to round out the meal. I love to eat!

What is your most meaningful memory with someone who is a member of the QT/PI community or with your culture? 

I grew up fairly sheltered with faith at the forefront, so a good portion of my adult-life was really de-centering a lot of doctrination I’ve been instilled as a child. My exposure to queer identity growing up came from my lånchera aunts comfortable with masculine attributes and hobbies. It allowed me to understand that I can embrace my feminine side of my own queer identity, even if it meant shielding myself from the more binary-gender based views most people upheld around me growing up.

I take with me the pride of my culture - prioritizing the women over men, as a matriarchy. By doing so, powerful women were never foreign to me. The mother was the one who called the shots in households and were the primary caretaker of most families.
Heck, during my confirmation for church I was the only boy to choose a Nina (godmother) in my group!

Today, I appreciate my relationships I maintain with my queer relatives and close friends who too resonate the struggles of existing in such a binary, colonial and patriarchal society.

What are you most excited to do or achieve during your time at UTOPIA PDX? 

I want to do my part in uplifting the voices of others who resonate with my experiences growing up and struggles they face today by western and patriarchal ideals in the Pacific Northwest. By exercising my creative skills I’ve grown to refine, having a profession that tackles both creativity and my values it really makes the initiative all the more worthwhile for me and my own identity navigating the complicated world today.