In celebration of Women’s Month, we are delighted to feature exceptional Filipino women who are shaping British society across diverse fields. While each one of them tells a unique narrative, they are bound by a shared resilience and an unwavering commitment to their passions. Though their career paths differ, they are united by a common thread: an openness to learning and a deep connection to their roots. These women are proud stewards of Filipino heritage, embodying our shared values as they carve out space for excellence in British society.
“I have come to see that we are not only “the helpers” — we can also be the heralds. … Be kind. Follow your dreams. Get up just one more time.” – Romalyn Ante
Please describe your current role/work.
I am a full-time writer, editor and mentor. My work centres on shedding light on unseen narratives — those of migrant women, children and the profound emotional landscapes of carers. I have just finished my debut novel, “The Left-Behind Child” (Chatto & Windus), which will be published this August.
I am currently writing a new novel and serving as a judge for the Jhalak Poetry Prize and the Forward Prizes. Above all, I am a mother — devoted to my child and, I hope, to nurturing the next generation of voices through my writing.
What is the maxim you live by?
“Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.” These lines from “Desiderata” are my anchor.
Tell us the biggest challenge that you faced and how you overcame it.
My greatest challenge has been the layered experience of being a left-behind child and, later, a migrant woman. When I was young, my mother left the Philippines to work as a nurse in the UK. When I eventually joined her, I too became a nurse.
I navigated my challenges by turning to simple healing practices: noticing the world closely and writing my heart out.
Writing was never merely a hobby — it became my way of meditating on my experiences and transforming wounds into strength. In time, I realised that these experiences were what led me to write “The Left-Behind Child.”
What is the one achievement that you are most proud of and why?
Becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023, at an early stage in my writing career, felt like a message from God that I was on the right path.
Yet the achievement I hold most dearly is the quiet integration of my identities — including motherhood. I am proud to honour both caring and writing — the shared work of nurturing empathy.
As a mother, I am honoured to be able to show my child that a Filipino woman’s story can stand at the centre, and pain can be transformed through devotion and love.
I have come to see that we are not only “the helpers” — we can also be the heralds.
What would be your advice to young Filipino girls of today?
Be kind. Follow your dreams. Get up just one more time.
