BIO
Jenah Maravilla was born in Manila, Philippines in 1992. She moved to Eagle Pass, TX with her parents and younger brother when she was just two years old. After living in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston throughout her childhood, she attended Texas A&M for pre-nursing and Alvin Community College to earn an Associate’s Degree in Nursing. She worked for 1.5 years as an ICU nurse at East Houston Regional Med Center, where she finished her Bachelor’s online at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center - Gayle Greve Hunt School of nursing. But after the disruption of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Maravilla decided to quit nursing and pursue her passions for writing and Filipino community organizing. With fellow writer and activist Christy Poisot, she launched the Houston chapter of UniPro (Pilipino American Unity for Progress), a nonprofit that provides education and mentorship for young Filipinos. The pair also published the book Filipinos in Houston in 2018. Currently, Maravilla is the secretary of UniPro, works as a freelance writer and editor, and is involved in several other Filipino American organizations.