The Beginning
Founder Story
Learn how Kuya Ate began — from a simple idea rooted in bayanihan to a growing mentorship movement empowering Filipino youth.
Born in the Philippines, Raised Between Two Worlds
Founded by Cheska, who was born and raised in Bais City, Negros Oriental, attending La Consolacion College before graduating from Silliman University High School. She moved to the United States as an immigrant, building a life far from home without the guidance or safe space she needed growing up.
The transition was not easy. She faced real struggles with her mental health and identity, but had the courage to seek professional help and that experience of being truly seen never left her.
It was in the U.S. that she experienced mentorship for the first time, and it changed the trajectory of her life. Someone believed in her before she believed in herself. Guided by Dr. Jose Rizal's call to never forget where you came from, she is building what she never had, so no child has to find their way alone.
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Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan.
"He who does not look back at where he came from will not reach his destination."
— Dr. Jose Rizal
A Bridge Across Oceans
During her university years, Cheska met Filipinos who were far from home and longing to reconnect with their roots. They wanted to serve, to give back, but had no real way to do it.
Back in the Philippines, the need was just as real. There are no academic advisors guiding students toward possibility, no one sitting down to ask do you believe in yourself, and who could you become if you did? The closest figure is often a guidance counselor, a role rooted more in discipline than in direction, more in correction than in care. And in a culture where mental health is still rarely spoken about, many students are left to navigate their struggles in silence, carrying pressure, doubt, and unanswered questions on their own.
Two different worlds, yet the same quiet need to be seen, to be guided, to be believed in.
Cheska stopped observing the gap. She became the bridge.
KAMP Is Born
The Kuya Ate Mentorship Program, KAMP, was built around four pillars: Personal Development, Mental Health, Self Worth, and Future Readiness. Grounded in Cheska's dual degrees in Computer Science and Engineering and Cognitive Science, the program bridges both technology and human behavior to create meaningful, research driven mentorship. This work is deeply personal. Having experienced the challenges of navigating growth without consistent guidance, Cheska turned to tools rooted in reflection, mindset, and self awareness to rebuild her confidence.
The pilot program launches in the summer of 2026, pairing US based Filipino college mentors with Grade 6 to 8 students in the Philippines in a one to one matching model, one kuya or ate for every student who needs one. More than mentorship, KAMP is a space where young people are seen, guided, and reminded that their future is theirs to define.
A Movement, Not Just a Program
What started as one person's question has grown into a team of advocates, coordinators, and community partners on both sides of the Pacific. KAMP is not just a mentorship program. It is a declaration that the Filipino community can take care of its own.
The cycle stops with us.
