Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

HIS dream is to be the first American of Filipino ancestry in the US Senate. Hawaii State Senator William Espero (D-HI) is certainly on his way toward that dream.

Espero is currently serving a second term as a Hawaii state senator. He was first elected to the senate in 2002. Prior to that, Governor Ben Cayetano appointed Espero to the House as the 41st representative district of Ewa Beach.

The son of Victor Espero from Bacnotan, La Union and Paulina Calip Espero from Santiago, Ilocos Sur, Philippines, Will Espero was born in Yokosuka, Japan. His father is retired from the US Navy. His mother was a nurse.

Like many children of military parents, Espero has moved around, living on the East and West coast of the US as well as Cuba and Italy.

After his parents settled down, he attended Seattle University and graduated with a BA Business Management degree in 1982.

Shortly thereafter, he settled in the Ewa Beach district of Hawaii where he served as executive secretary of the city Neighborhood Commission, which governs the neighborhood board system from 1986 to 1994. He also sat on the ‘Ewa Neighborhood Board in 1995-99.

He began his foray into politics in 1992.

He lost his first run at a Hawaii senate seat in 1992. He ran as a Republican but switched to the Democratic Party two years after the lost.

But Espero persevered.

After being appointed to the Hawaii House of Representatives vacated by former Rep. Paul Oshiro, Espero sought for re-election at the ending term and won. He served as a representative for two more years before being elected to the state senate.

As a Hawaii senator, Espero is the Chair of Public Safety and Military Affairs committee, a member of the Commerce and Consumer Protection, Health, Joint Task Force to Conduct a Review of the State Highway Fund, and the Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs committees.

One issue that Espero keenly pays attention to is education. In 2004, he introduced a resolution to develop, support, and promote existing robotics education in Hawaii’s schools to spur students about science and math.

The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) program grew that day and has continued to help Hawaii’s students learn the cutting edge of technology in the classroom.

Espero recently wrote about the program’s success in an article in the Hawaii Reporter.

He wrote that a school in his senatorial district, Ewa Beach’s James Campbell High School last December captured the Excellence Award, the top honor, at the 2008 VEX Pan-American Robotics competition last December. The team of high school students are now on their way to Dallas, Texas to compete in the VEX World Championship.

He said the student’s and faculty’s accomplishment is the reason why he advocated robotics education when he introduced the resolution four years ago.

"Winning competitions is thrilling, but the real achievement is that many students who previously had little interest in this tough academic area are now seeing that a career in science, technology, engineering, and math is not only possible, but satisfying as well," he wrote.

"The incredible benefits of stimulating interest in an area so badly needed in our country are what motivates those of us who believe in STEM training to continue on this path."

He said that students are not only gearing themselves toward a field through robotics education but they also develop critical thinking skills, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.

"Developing our young people’s capacity for innovation through robotics education trains them to adapt to changing times, and ensures a bright future for our state," added Espero.

( www.asianjournal.com )

( Published on March 11, 2009 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. B2 )