Randy Cortez – Representing Hawaii’s Young Leaders
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| Randy Cortez |
As the current president of the JCI Hawaii Filipino Chamber of Commerce, Randy was heavily involved with putting together last month’s 21st Filipino Fiesta at Kapiolani Park. He has served as chair for the annual fiesta for the past four years now and has helped ensure a successful event on each occasion.
Randy also assumed the role of chair for a Candidates Forum in October of 2010, where he spearheaded a community event during the Hawaii 2010 State Elections that provided constituents an opportunity to question political candidates on various political issues. In 2011 and 2012, he oversaw yet another community event that recognized ten outstanding Filipinos dedicated to creating better communities in Hawaii. He is also a member of the Order of the Knights of Rizal and was appointed this year’s Pursuivant, or Secretary.
His dedication to the Filipino community earned him a spot in the second batch of outstanding young Filipino Americans (age 18 – 40) to participate in the Filipino American youth Leadership Program (FYLPro) in the Philippines. As a delegate, Randy will be granted the opportunity to meet some of the most powerful officials of the Philippines, highly respected entrepreneurs, and many more. He hopes to “disseminate the teachings of the program to influential individuals and organizations that play a vital role in society’s daily operations.”
In 2010, Randy graduated as double major, securing a B.A. in Philosophy and a B.A. in Filipino and Philippine Literature from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. He then served as the Legislative Aide to Senator Clarence Nishihara in 2011. He is now completing a legal internship with Badger Arakaki LLLC and holds the position of Program Specialist at the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR), under the Office of Community Services. He was recently accepted at the Richardson School of Law at UH Manoa and plans to enroll in the Fall of 2014.