Leticia Tang: "As immigrants, you are part of a new community, and this new community is what you make of it."
On a cold, blustery day in 1978, as she walked down Grosvenor Street in London, England, Leticia Tang found herself at the Canadian Embassy looking for employment to immigrate to Canada.
Seeking her fortune, Leticia had left the Philippines a few years earlier to live and work in the UK, and later that year she arrived in Canada as a live-in nanny.
The eldest of nine siblings, Leticia took on the burden of supporting her family and she left school to work, a regret she carries to this day.
But she’s also proud that her family in the Philippines are well settled, with siblings, nephews and nieces who have achieved higher education and good jobs due in part to the sacrifices she made.
Leticia is stoic about her accomplishments.
In the early years after she moved to London, she took a job as a baker at King’s University College - a Western University affiliate - to allow time to care for her little girl.
But her ambition and desire to be successful meant that she continued to study at every opportunity, taking courses at Fanshawe College and through correspondence.
Though she had to contend with sexism in the workplace, Leticia was absolutely determined to become successful. She had always been able to advocate for herself, and when the position of Head Chef at Kings College came up, she applied, firmly demonstrating that she was the best qualified for it. She retired in 2009 when her first grandson was born.
Seeking her fortune, Leticia had left the Philippines a few years earlier to live and work in the UK, and later that year she arrived in Canada as a live-in nanny.
The eldest of nine siblings, Leticia took on the burden of supporting her family and she left school to work, a regret she carries to this day.
But she’s also proud that her family in the Philippines are well settled, with siblings, nephews and nieces who have achieved higher education and good jobs due in part to the sacrifices she made.
Leticia is stoic about her accomplishments.
In the early years after she moved to London, she took a job as a baker at King’s University College - a Western University affiliate - to allow time to care for her little girl.
But her ambition and desire to be successful meant that she continued to study at every opportunity, taking courses at Fanshawe College and through correspondence.
Though she had to contend with sexism in the workplace, Leticia was absolutely determined to become successful. She had always been able to advocate for herself, and when the position of Head Chef at Kings College came up, she applied, firmly demonstrating that she was the best qualified for it. She retired in 2009 when her first grandson was born.
A sprightly 80-year-old, today Leticia is an active member of the Filipino community, welcoming newcomers and supporting those in need. She belongs to the Kiwanis Seniors Club where she takes ukulele lessons, goes line dancing once a week and studies technology for seniors.
She is also active at her church - singing in the choir and being part of the community.
When asked what she misses about the Philippines, Leticia says she misses the warm weather and the friendliness of the people. Everybody knows everyone else in her village, she says.
“Even if they don’t have much, everyone is content,” she says.
She remembers fishing in the river with her brother and misses those simple days. She says her biggest achievement is raising a beautiful, successful and caring daughter while also working and making a life for them here in London.
“I always wanted to give my daughter what I did not have, and that has been my life’s work,” says Leticia.
When asked what advice she would give to newcomers to London, Leticia says it is what she told her daughter as she was growing up:
“If you recognize the good, you will see the good, and then you will be the good,” she says. “As immigrants, you are part of a new community, and this new community is what you make of it.”
She is also active at her church - singing in the choir and being part of the community.
When asked what she misses about the Philippines, Leticia says she misses the warm weather and the friendliness of the people. Everybody knows everyone else in her village, she says.
“Even if they don’t have much, everyone is content,” she says.
She remembers fishing in the river with her brother and misses those simple days. She says her biggest achievement is raising a beautiful, successful and caring daughter while also working and making a life for them here in London.
“I always wanted to give my daughter what I did not have, and that has been my life’s work,” says Leticia.
When asked what advice she would give to newcomers to London, Leticia says it is what she told her daughter as she was growing up:
“If you recognize the good, you will see the good, and then you will be the good,” she says. “As immigrants, you are part of a new community, and this new community is what you make of it.”