Alyssa Navarro is Manager of Representation and Inclusion Strategies at The Walt Disney Studios also known as the RISE team. This year, she was named one of the Forbes 30 Under 30. She was also the Executive Producer for the Disney Launchpad, Incubator program, which featured diverse directors who produced short films for Disney+. Co-host of the Sweet or Savory Podcast with her fiance, AJ Rafael. Yep you read that right! We get into how they met, it’s an actual disney love story. Outside of her day job, Alyssa is pretty much a real life filipina disney princess! She performed as Mulan for several years at the Disneyland Resort while she was at college in University of La Verne, and sings regularly on her tiktok, which has over 230k followers.

In this episode we’ll cover…

• How growing up surrounded by a supportive filipino community shaped Alyssa’s future as a performer and leader
• The rising representation of Filipino talent on screen that’s just scratching the surface in media and the arts
• Alyssa’s work with the Disney Launchpad Shorts Incubator Program
• What happens when your life or career path after college doesn’t look the way you thought it would and how to take advantage of the humbling job experiences
• The power of advocating for yourself and your dreams, despite the cultural norm of not allowing yourself as a filipino to take up space
• Surround yourself with people who bring you closer to your culture

Importance of Episode:

Representation of the Filipino community is on the rise, and while we’re barely just scratching the surface, the importance and need for Filipino talent to be shown on screen remains the same. Filipinas are a force to be reckoned with, our culture and people bring something unique to the spaces we’re in. But oftentimes we as Filipina women are afraid to take up that space because we haven’t seen people before us do it. It takes brave men and women, like Alyssa, to step out and follow their passions and show future generations what’s possible.

Connect with Alyssa: (@alyssugh) 

* Website:  https://www.alyssanavarro.com/ 

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssugh/ 

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