As a UN Global Champion, Filipino teenager Brina Maxino shines bright on the world stage, proving once more that what counts isn’t our disability, but our ability to make a difference in this world.
It’s evident the moment you laid your eyes on her: Brina isn’t your typical teenager next door. Her physical features readily give clues to her condition. This spirited young woman was born with Down Syndrome and a hole in her heart. But more than what her face, hands and body reveal, it is her heart, mind and soul that truly shine bright.
/Photography by MJ Suayan /Hair and makeup by Sari Campos
Just recently, Brina has been selected as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Global Champion of Inclusive Education, representing the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region.
“I thank [UNESCO] for choosing me among many candidates from around the world. The roles that Special Olympics gave me as the Global Youth Ambassador, and later as Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger (IGM) for 2019-2023 prepared me well for larger responsibilities,” Brina says on Facebook.
According to the same Facebook post, from among the 10 chosen participants from the world over, she holds the distinction of not only being the lone individual from Asia-Pacific, but also the only person in the group with a disability. “The other nine Champions being teachers, education policy makers and community leaders from around the globe,” she adds.
In July 2014, Brina was chosen to deliver a speech before then US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, who hosted the special dinner for Special Olympics at the White House. In her speech, Brina, confident and pretty in her red and white Terno, candidly said, “Mr. President, you have changed your country. I am changing mine; together, we speak the language of the unified generation.”
From a bullied Brina, she transformed into a brave Brina, the face and the voice of people with Down Syndrome.
Attending classes in a regular school was the next hurdle for little Brina. During this exclusive interview and pictorial for PeopleAsia, she admits that some of her classmates were mean. “They bullied me and teased me. They would not allow me to join in their games. Sometimes, they even pushed me when I was too slow for them while running or walking,” she adds.
She points out that as a Global Youth Ambassador, it is her task “to educate, motivate and activate” people to become agents of change. Because of her command of the English language, Brina is often asked to be an emcee, especially for events of the Down Syndrome Awareness of Peel (DSAP) or related groups.
She adds: “I would like to ask the readers of PeopleAsia to please stop using the R-word even as a joke and similar words like mongoloid, moron and idiot. They are hurtful and insulting.”
To families with special children, Brina, speaking from the heart, is making a direct appeal: “Love them, don’t lose hope, and, with God’s grace, anything is possible. Believe in them, and they will achieve.”
This story first appeared on PeopleAsia’s April-May 2015 issue.
