i have always been a dreamer.
i love creating things, making plans, and imagining what life could look like a few years from now. i've always been a little ambitious, a little sentimental, and admittedly, quite the perfectionist.
but the more i grow up, the more i realize that so much of who i am has very little to do with what i've accomplished.
it has everything to do with where i come from, the people who have loved me, and the faith that continues to shape the woman i am becoming.
01 where it all began
and for me, that story begins with family.
i grew up as the eldest daughter in a family of five, and the eldest granddaughter and niece in much of my extended family.
i was raised in a Filipino Catholic household where love was shown in a hundred different ways. through prayer, sacrifice, food, laughter, hospitality, and simply being there for one another.
my Filipino heritage is something i carry with so much pride. it has shaped the way i love, the way i care for people, and the way i understand the importance of family.
when i look back on my childhood, i can't help but feel incredibly grateful.
my parents came to Canada as immigrants and worked so hard to give my siblings and me a beautiful life.
the vacations, the extracurricular activities, the opportunities, and even the ordinary little memories that made our childhood so special were possible because of their sacrifices.
of course, we didn't fully understand that growing up.
but as i've gotten older, i've come to appreciate just how much love and hard work went into the life they built for us.
02 the people who made it home
my mom is one of the strongest and gentlest women i know.
she is resilient, independent, loving, hospitable, and completely devoted to our family. she has always had this beautiful way of caring for people, whether it's through something she's cooked, something she's remembered, or simply making sure everyone feels welcome and loved.
there is a quiet strength about her that i admire so much.
in many ways, she reminds me of the qualities i love in Mother Mary. gentle, courageous, faithful, and willing to love through sacrifice.
i have always looked up to her, and one of my greatest dreams is to become a mother someday. if i can love my own children with even a fraction of the love she has given us, i would consider that one of my greatest blessings.
my dad, on the other hand, is probably where i get a good portion of my ambition.
he is driven, understanding, loving, incredibly wise, and genuinely one of the goofiest people i know.
he has always been someone who thinks ahead. he plans for the future, sees opportunities, and encourages us to think beyond what is right in front of us.
as i've gotten older, i've started noticing just how much of him i see in myself.
my entrepreneurial spirit, my ambition, my desire to build something meaningful, and my tendency to think ten steps ahead are all things i know i inherited from him.
i really am my father's daughter.
together, my parents gave us a home where we felt safe, encouraged, supported, and so deeply loved. i know that so much of the woman i am today comes from watching the two of them.
and then there are my siblings.
my older brother is one of the most genuine, sensitive, thoughtful, and talented people i know. although he's only a year older than me, i am so grateful to call him my kuya and one of my best friends.
there's something special about having someone who has known you for practically your entire life, who remembers all the different versions of you, and who continues growing alongside you.
my younger sister, meanwhile, means the absolute world to me.
we have shared some of the happiest memories, the hardest nights, countless conversations, and, unfortunately for both of us, a wardrobe and a bathroom.
if you have a sister, you probably understand.
she has seen me at my best and my worst, and there is something so comforting about having someone who knows you that well.
my siblings are two very different people, and i love them for exactly who they are. watching them grow into their own lives and become the people they are today has been one of the sweetest parts of growing up.
no matter how old we get or where life takes us, they will always be my built in best friends.
my grandparents also deserve a very special place in this story.
they have always been such an important part of my life, and i take so much pride in being their granddaughter.
my grandparents have always been Christ centred, loving, and incredibly supportive. their faith has been a beautiful example to me, and i have grown up seeing the importance they place on keeping God and family at the heart of everything.
there is something so special about being loved by the people whose sacrifices, prayers, and life experiences helped shape the family you belong to.
as i've gotten older, i've become more aware of the legacy they have given us. not just through the things they've done for our family, but through the values they've passed down and the way they've lived their lives.
i have always wanted to make my grandparents proud.
and while i hope they are proud of the things i accomplish, what matters even more to me is making them proud of the person i become.
i hope they see their faith, their love, and the values they've taught us reflected in the way i live my own life.
being their granddaughter is one of those things i will always consider a privilege.
and of course, my family doesn't end there.
i grew up surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family who have all played a part in shaping who i am.
if you grew up in a big Filipino family, you'll probably understand exactly what i mean when i say there was always something happening.
someone was cooking, someone was singing, someone was laughing too loudly, the little kids were running around, and somehow there was always more food than anyone could possibly finish.
there was always room for one more person at the table.
i think growing up around that kind of love is one of the reasons i care so much about making people feel welcomed and remembered.
i love bringing people together, making people feel comfortable, and creating little moments that eventually become memories.
family has always been at the heart of who i am, and i hope it always will be.
03 finding my voice
now, considering the person i am today, you might be surprised to know that i was actually an incredibly shy child.
i was quiet, sensitive, and much more comfortable observing everything around me than being the centre of attention.
but i always had a creative side.
performing arts became one of the first places where i really found a way to express myself. through music and performance, i started discovering a confidence that i didn't necessarily have anywhere else.
i loved being able to create something and share it with people, even if i was still a little nervous about being seen.
by high school, that shy little girl had started coming out of her shell.
i attended a regional arts school for music vocal studies, and those years became such an important part of my life.
between performing, academics, leadership opportunities, friendships, and teachers who believed in me, i began discovering what i was capable of.
i learned how to speak up, lead, create, take initiative, and become comfortable putting myself out there.
it's funny to think that the girl who used to be so shy would eventually become someone who genuinely loved leading and bringing people together.
high school was also where my faith began to become much more personal.
although i grew up Catholic, it was through my school, parish community, youth ministry, and the people God placed in my life that i started discovering what it meant to have a real relationship with Jesus.
that journey has become one of the most meaningful parts of my life, and one that deserves a story of its own.
when i began university, i carried a lot of those experiences with me.
i continued growing academically, creatively, personally, and in my faith. university introduced me to new people, different perspectives, and experiences that helped me understand myself a little better.
there were beautiful moments, challenging ones, and plenty of things i didn't fully appreciate until much later.
but i'm grateful for all of it.
those years taught me so much about independence, friendship, faith, and the kind of person i wanted to become.
and at heart, i'll always be a gryphon.
04 the art of growing up
since graduating, i've been quietly building my professional career while continuing to explore all the different things i want to do with my life.
and if adulthood has taught me anything so far, it's that you can have a plan for your life and still have absolutely no idea what you're doing sometimes.
i've always liked having goals and knowing what comes next, so learning to be comfortable with uncertainty has definitely been a work in progress.
but i've also come to appreciate that life doesn't always have to follow one perfectly straight path.
some experiences have helped me discover what i want. others have taught me what i don't want. and some have simply reminded me that there is still so much left to learn.
through all of those seasons, i've also been incredibly blessed with friendships.
there are people who have celebrated with me, prayed with me, challenged me, listened to me, and laughed with me until we could barely breathe.
some have been in my life for years. others were part of a particular chapter.
and while not every friendship is meant to last forever, i am grateful for what each one has taught me.
friendship has taught me about loyalty, forgiveness, boundaries, grace, and the importance of having people who genuinely want the best for you.
i hope i can continue being that kind of friend to the people God places in my life.
because no matter how busy life becomes, i never want to be too busy for the people i love.
05 a quieter kind of ambition
another part of me that has remained pretty consistent throughout the years is my ambition.
i love achieving things.
i love leading, organizing, learning, and taking an idea from something i've imagined to something that actually exists.
i love working hard for things i care about, and i take pride in being someone people can depend on.
for much of my life, those were the things people associated with me.
maryanne was the leader.
maryanne was involved.
maryanne could make it happen.
maryanne was always doing something.
and i am genuinely proud of that version of myself.
she worked hard, cared deeply, and wasn't afraid to take on a challenge, even when she wasn't entirely sure how she would figure it out.
and honestly, she's still here.
but as i've gotten older, i've realized that ambition doesn't always have to be loud.
for a long time, confidence meant stepping forward, speaking up, performing, leading, and allowing myself to be seen.
now, confidence means something a little different too.
it means knowing who i am when no one is watching.
it means being comfortable building things quietly, choosing what deserves my time and energy, and understanding that not everything meaningful in my life needs to be shared with everyone.
i've come to appreciate privacy, intentionality, and the beauty of simply enjoying things without feeling the need to explain them.
and perhaps the biggest lesson i've been learning is that my accomplishments have never determined my worth.
as someone who has always been a high achiever, that hasn't necessarily been the easiest thing to accept.
because i do have big dreams.
i want to be successful. i want to create things i'm proud of. i want to make my family proud and build a beautiful life for myself and the family i hope to have someday.
but i am learning that none of those things make me more worthy of love.
my worth has always been in Christ.
before any title, achievement, expectation, or dream, i am His daughter.
and there is so much peace in knowing that.
i can pursue everything i feel called to do without believing that i need to accomplish something extraordinary to be enough.
i already belong to the Father.
everything else grows from there.
06 love & becoming
this quieter season has also brought another beautiful part of my story: my partner.
our relationship has become one of the many blessings i am grateful for in this season of my life.
through the conversations we have, the experiences we share, and the different perspectives we bring to one another, i've continued learning so much about love, patience, and myself.
he knows the ambitious side of me, the one who gets excited about new ideas and somehow manages to turn an ordinary conversation into a discussion about our future.
but he also knows the quieter, more sentimental side of me.
the part that overthinks, cares a little too much about the details, and sometimes needs reminding to slow down and appreciate what's right in front of us.
i'm grateful to have someone beside me who supports my dreams while also reminding me how beautiful the present can be.
there is something so special about being loved for who you are, not just for what you can accomplish.
and as we continue growing together, i look forward to the life we hope and pray to build, wherever God leads us.
i think one of the most beautiful things about growing up is realizing that you don't have to fit into one particular version of yourself.
i can be sensitive and strong.
sentimental and ambitious.
gentle and confident.
i can be softhearted and still know how to lead a room.
i can care deeply about doing things well while learning that not everything needs to be perfect.
and i can dream about the future without rushing through the life i'm living right now.
i'm still a perfectionist.
i'm still incredibly ambitious.
and i am definitely still my own worst critic sometimes.
but i'm learning how to let those parts of myself exist alongside gratitude, patience, and peace.
07 a creator at heart
and underneath all of those things, there is one part of me that has never really changed.
i have always been a creator.
creativity has always been one of the places where i feel most like myself.
whether it's music, video editing, design, digital art, storytelling, or simply finding a way to bring an idea to life, i love making things.
i love the little details. the way colours work together, how a song can bring back a memory, how a photograph can tell a story, or how something that started as a random idea in my head can eventually become something real.
sometimes i create because i want to express something.
sometimes because i want to remember something.
and sometimes simply because i enjoy the process of making something beautiful.
and in many ways, that's exactly what this website is.
a little space on the internet that brings together so many of the things i love.
my creativity, my writing, my faith, my experiences, and the ideas that have been sitting in my head waiting for somewhere to go.
i wanted somewhere to document, reflect, experiment, and share the things that mean something to me.
not because i think every part of my life needs to be shared, but because i believe there is something beautiful about sharing what you've been given.
and if something i write, create, or share makes someone feel understood, encourages them to pursue something meaningful, or brings them even a little closer to Jesus, then i think that's something worth creating for.
08 simply maryanne
i still have so many dreams.
very big ones, actually.
and i fully intend to work toward them.
there are places i want to see, things i want to build, experiences i want to have, and a future i'm excited to discover.
but as much as i love thinking about everything that lies ahead, i am learning that the most meaningful parts of my life will never simply be the things i achieve.
they'll be the people i loved and the way i made them feel.
the sacrifices my parents made, and whether i carried their love forward.
the example my grandparents gave me, and whether i made them proud.
the relationship i have with my siblings, and whether we continued showing up for one another.
the friendships i nurtured, the home i hope to build, and the people God entrusted to my care.
the way my partner loves me for exactly who i am, and whether i allowed that love to overflow into the lives of everyone i encounter.
and ultimately, whether i used the gifts He gave me to become the woman He created me to be.
a woman of God.
a partner.
a daughter.
a granddaughter.
a sister.
a friend.
a creator.
a leader.
and before every accomplishment, title, project, or carefully written résumé,
simply maryanne.
i spent a lot of my younger years learning how to find my voice, put myself out there, and make something of myself.
now, i'm learning how to appreciate the woman i already am while continuing to grow into the one i hope to become.
i'm learning to build quietly, love deeply, dream boldly, and be present for the life God has given me.
and while i have no idea exactly what every chapter ahead will look like, i'm excited to find out.
i hope that wherever life takes me, i never lose the parts of myself that make me who i am, or forget the people who helped me get here.
because as much as i look forward to everything i'm becoming, i'll always be grateful for where i began.
thank you, Jesus,
ad maiorem Dei gloriam:
maryanne
hear the story at the heart of my faith
