Filipina OFW Xyza Bacani spoke at Ted x HongKong

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Xyza Bacani, an OFW in Hong Kong, stood in front of a packed crowd on April 18 at Cyberport, Hong Kong. She was one of the 19 speakers of the recently concluded TedXHongKong symposium.

READ: Interview: Xyza Bacani, the Pinay domestic helper in HK who won the Magnum Foundation Scholarship

The 27-year-old native of Nueva Vizcaya spoke during the “Sight and Sound” session, where she talked about her day job, the struggles in her life, photography, and how it’s helped her see Hong Kong in a new light.

Xyza, a recent awardee of a Magnum Foundation scholarship, also talked about how her successes and recognition continue to inspire her.

According to a press release issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs, some members of the audience gave her a standing ovation.

On Facebook, Xyza Bacani marked the occasion by posting a photo with a caption that almost reads like a beautiful piece of advice: “Shoot. Shoot more. And shoot even if you don’t feel like it.”

When she learned she had won a Magnum Foundation Scholarship earlier this year, Xyza’s Facebook status update was just as inspiring: “All dreams are valid!”

TEDx Hong Kong is a non-profit project which gathers leading thinkers and doers to share their respective experiences in the fields of Technology, Entertainment, and Design (TED). TEDx focuses on sharing new thinking, inspiration and exciting new ideas by engaging event audiences with different perspectives and experiences from thought leaders in Hong Kong and from around the world.

The theme of the event, “Never Stop!”, focused on the TED community’s advocacy that “learning is a lifelong journey with the world increasingly interconnected and changing faster than ever.”
 

 

A full house for @xyzacruzbacani at @cyberporthk for #hk #tedxhked #tedxhk #photographer modest and amazing #soul

A photo posted by Wendy (@happydietitian) on Apr 18, 2015 at 6:22am PDT

 

With Xyza Cruz Bacani, #Magnum Foundation Human Rights Fellow, 2015. One of our #TEDxHK speakers and a triumph of meritocracy! Xyza is a Filipino domestic worker-turned-photographer. She’s a wonderful example of going for your dream, however unrealistic it may first seem. GO XYZA!!!

A photo posted by Angela Kan (Discovery Channel) (@angelakantravel) on Apr 23, 2015 at 4:11am PDT

Photo: Mariko Sanchanta/Twitter