LUCAs EMMANUEL StA. ANA
Lucas Sta Ana is the “Kuya” at home. Kuya means older brother, although he is 6 years younger than his older brother David. Lucas grew up with a different sense of maturity and responsibility, knowing he would always take care of his brother with Autism. Not an easy burden to take on as a child.
The Story
Lucas was 8 years old when he first realized what inequality was. Coming from a family of journalists, his mother took him with her to her field work in the slums of Metro Manila. He remembers coming into what barely looked like a home. Panels of old wood nailed together, a living space that resembled a box and children younger than me on the floor. His mother always told him, “exposure matters”. While her “bring your kids to work day” was different from most parents, Lucas learned about life outside of books and the classroom. These exposures, which became constant in his life, would eventually shape his way of thinking. The only difference between him and another child in the Philippines, would be ‘access and opportunity’
As a teenager, Lucas’ volunteer work teaching street children during the summer was a life changing experience for him. A UNICEF study shows 15% of Filipino children can’t read a simple text at the age of 10. His time with kids on the street, helping them read simple books inspired him to start a youtube channel called “ATING ARALIN, ATING ARALIN” which instills the love for reading Filipino books. Lucas partnered with ADARNA HOUSE, a known Filipino children’s book publisher. With this, he founded BOLA AT LIBRO (Basketball And Books) which revived the sportsfest of the street children of CHILDHOPE. A lover of basketball, Lucas believes in the power of sports to get children off the streets and use this as a tool to encourage them to read and learn. He was able to raise close to $4000 from friends and donors for the first sportsfest with 80 boys and girls.
Lucas is also a co-founder of the GREENSHIFT Project, which he founded with his cousin. The website serves as an educational resource on SUSTAINABILITY, focusing on one of the UN SDGs. Lucas has created videos on sustainability - areas covering the earth, climate, environment, consumption effects and inclusivity - that can be understood by ordinary students.
Last November 2023, Lucas was officially recognized as a #HeForShe Advocate for UN WOMEN at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. With Lucas’ early exposure with inequality in many forms in the Philippines, he connected with the He for She mission. Gender equality isn’t just a women’s movement, this is a liberation movement for anyone who has felt the pain of discrimination too.
THE GLOBAL FILIPINO. Lucas dreams of attending university overseas to widen his academic journey. Not only will he be the first in his family’s generation to study college outside the Philippines, but he wants to represent the Filipino in a global community. He wants to be the best Filipino student abroad, learning new ideas that he believes can help better his country in the future.