Name: Mikey Bustos
Place of Birth: Toronto, Canada
Elementary School: St. Simon’s Catholic School
High School: St. Michael’s College
1. Could you please describe how you came to be in Canada?
I was born and raised in Toronto and lived in Canada for my entire life up until Dec 2011 when I moved to Manila, Philippines.
2. Describe your experience of growing up, living, and/or working in Canada?
I grew up North of Weston Rd and 401 so it was mostly Italians. I almost felt like one of the Italians in fact. Childhood was great, and I loved that I had friends of different races, but the only Filipinos I hung out with growing up were my cousins. As a result, we are all super close to this day, even if some of us are now parents.
3. What are some of your major accomplishments? What were/are some of your major struggles?
Accomplishments include making Top 8 on Canadian Idol Season 1 and achieving a gold record because of it. I think growing up having no Filipino role models made it challenging to embrace my Filipino heritage. Perhaps I may have even been embarrassed of my Filipino heritage at one point, even wanting to be white like everyone else. That later went away as I got older, when I realized that having my own culture was actually a strength and gave me an edge in many circumstances.
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