Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have shaped the history of the United States and have had their lives dramatically influenced by moments in its history. Every May, the Defense Department joins the rest of the nation in celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Marine Corps 1st Lt. Tiffany Roberts is a manpower officer at Camp Pendleton, California. She's also a Filipina American. Her mom was born in Manila, Philippines, and her dad was born in Canandaigua, New York, and is an Army veteran. Roberts was born in San Jose, California.
"I joined the Marine Corps because I felt a strong need to give back to this country who has given me and my family so much. I feel incredibly lucky to have been born in a place where women are treated as strong and capable humans with endless potential," she said.
"I feel as though the best way for me to give back for the beautiful life I have been given is through serving in the military. Out of all of the countries, out of all the lives I could be living, I was chosen to live this one," she added.
Roberts has inherited her mother's loving nature and hospitality, traits she said are usually characteristic of Filipina women. Those traits, she said, have made her an understanding and caring Marine officer.
"My mother and brother instilled Filipino pride in me as a young child, and they taught me what it means to be a family-woman," she said.
As a youngster she said she was smaller and more soft-spoken than other girls and that she often had to fight hard for her voice to be heard or to make her presence known.
"My mother taught me to be resilient and to stand tall because when I speak, I speak with more than just my own voice; I speak with the voice and strength of all my ancestors who came before me. This is something I have carried on through my Marine Corps career," Roberts said.
The hard work, resilience and grit that she said her mother taught her early on is what inspired her to challenge herself physically.
In 2019, Roberts began weightlifting on a team called XIOS Strength and Conditioning. She credits her Filipino coach, Andrew DelaCruz, with seeing potential in her strength and power.
DelaCruz took her on his team to become a 59 kilogram Olympic weightlifter. Since beginning her training with him, Roberts has competed on multiple national stages and received many medals in her weight class.
Recently, she qualified for the 2021 USA Weightlifting Senior Nationals by lifting a total of 166 kilograms (approximately 365 pounds) as her combined total for the snatch and clean and jerk.
"My major goals are to compete on an international stage at the Pan American Games and to be selected to be on Team USA as a weightlifter," she said.
In addition to weightlifting, Roberts is working on getting her masters degree in psychology with an emphasis on military and trauma.
"In the Marine Corps, my major goals are to help my Marines develop themselves physically, professionally and mentally," she said.
"Though I initially joined the Marine Corps to give back to my family and country, I now love the Marine Corps because of my Marines. I am their biggest supporter. I want them to thrive in this life, and I want to be a mentor to them to show them that no matter what their demographic, ethnicity, gender, height, or predispositions may be, they can achieve great things. All of the opportunities are open for them here, and I want to give them everything to be the best Marines and leaders that they can be," she said.