Candidate for Director:
Bonifacio C. Sison
Mabuhay! My name is Bonifacio Sison, and I am running for Membership Director. While I have spent most of my life in the Bay Area, I am currently serving as a judicial law clerk with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit. I will return to practice law in the Bay Area this fall. Last year, I graduated from Berkeley Law. As a law student, I was proud to have served as co-chair for PALS. During my term, I prioritized strengthening the pipeline for Filipinx-American undergraduates seeking to become attorneys.
As someone who did not grow up steeped in the profession, I realized it was important for me to find mentorship. I sought out attorneys who could help me set my trajectory and to understand our profession’s many unspoken rules. The first place I looked to was FBANC. The summer before I even began law school, I had already attended several FBANC events and met many eager and kind FBANC attorneys practicing in diverse areas. My experience with FBANC during such a formative period was crucial for how I would navigate law school. It is now a lifelong commitment for me to create the same opportunities for future Filipinx-American attorneys.
With the support of and inspiration from FBANC, as co-chair of PALS I helped create a mentorship program that introduced and paired dozens of Filipinx-American undergraduates with law students and even attorneys. I also hosted networking events between law students and attorneys, and reached out to admitted students in order to grow the number of Filipinx-Americans at Berkeley Law. I am proud of what Berkeley’s PALS chapter has become today.
FBANC offers me the privilege and the platform to continue what I have started in law school. In the last few years, I have developed an even deeper appreciation for the role attorneys play in society. As such, I say with deep conviction that it is essential for Filipinx-Americans to have a strong and influential presence in the profession. As Membership Director, I hope to build on that very purpose.