Educator, activist, and organizer Joe Virata spent over 30 years helping students navigate the restrictive structures of higher education. He served as Director of Asian Pacific Student Programs at Loyola Marymount University and UC Riverside, and completed his sojourn through higher education as Assistant Dean of Students. An American born Pinoy, he has wrestled with finding identity while straddling two cultures. In his retirement years he seeks ways to nurture creativity in his life. He writes. He plays music. He makes films. He lets his imagination run wild. He happily plays with his grandchildren, watching them run and laugh, and have a great ol’ time.
He shares his stories, that they might inspire some joy, or challenge some thinking, or that they might simply provide a momentary distraction from life’s daily routines.