Identity, Values, and Strengths
Ko wai au, ngā whakapono, me ngā mea e kaha ai au
Who I am, what I believe, and what gives me strength
3 September 2025How My Culture Shaped My Values and Identity
Growing up with a strong Filipino culture deeply influenced my values. Being raised in a spiritual Catholic family shaped me into someone outgoing, kind-hearted, and joyful. Even though I'm naturally introverted and enjoy calm and quiet moments alone, the love and acceptance from the people around me gave me a positive outlook on life. Challenges didn’t bring me down; instead, they motivated me to stay optimistic.
Moving to New Zealand over seven years ago added another layer to my identity. I quickly appreciated how the Kiwi culture shares similarities with Filipino warmth and friendliness—they treat everyone like family, with respect and kindness. Living here, I've learned to respect all genders, races, and cultures and to truly be myself in a diverse community. This combination of cultures helped me grow into a respectful and open-minded person.
Strengths That Support My Learning Journey
Adaptability. I adjust quickly to new tools, frameworks, or changes in my environment without losing focus. This makes it easier for me to take on challenges in tech and keep up with the fast pace of learning and development.
Empathy & Teamwork. I notice when others are struggling and genuinely want to help them succeed. By supporting my peers and valuing teamwork, I create a positive, collaborative environment for shared growth and problem-solving.
Appreciation for Excellence & Creativity. I care deeply about doing meaningful, high-quality work instead of just completing tasks for the sake of finishing. This drives me to learn thoroughly and push myself to produce the best results I can.
These strengths help me stay engaged, work well with others, and remain open-minded as I progress. They also motivate me to keep growing, even when things get tough or the material is challenging.
References: My strengths insights were identified by Strength FinderLimitations That Affect My Learning and Career Growth
Emotional & Overthinking. I tend to overthink situations and let my emotions get the best of me, especially during stressful periods. This can lead me to second-guess my decisions or hesitate to share my ideas, making group work and communication more challenging for me.
Self-Doubt. When I lack confidence, I struggle to express my thoughts clearly and sometimes hold back from contributing fully. This can slow my learning, as I might miss out on feedback or opportunities for growth.
Perfectionism. I often aim for perfect results, which makes me afraid to fail or try things outside my comfort zone. This can lead to procrastination or spending too much time on one task, sometimes at the cost of missing deadlines.
These challenges can make it tough to work with others, take risks, and stay productive skills I know are important in tech. But being aware of them helps me work on managing myself better and improving my communication, which is important for my growth as a learner
An Ethical Decision I Made
Back in 2015, during my final year of IT, I was under a lot of pressure to finish my thesis in just one week. I was developing an electronic device and an app, staying up late almost every night. Meanwhile, my teammates handled the project documentation, but their work had so many errors over 70% of it was incorrect or full of grammar mistakes.
Seeing this stressed me out, and I even considered removing them from the team. But with advice from friends and family, I realized I needed to stay professional. I apologized for my reaction and helped them understand what was needed. Reflecting now, I’m glad I chose empathy over frustration. It taught me the value of clear communication and balancing emotions with ethics.
Navigating Team Tension
In a team project, we disagreed on implementing unit testing with Jest, a skill we were all weak in. One member wanted to skip it to save time, but I argued it would cause bigger issues later. I suggested we tackle testing in small pieces, pair up when stuck, and keep communication open. It worked even we didn’t cover everything, but we made progress without burning out It’s about balancing ideals with what’s realistic for the team.