Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and filmmaker Jose Antonio Vargas is opening Filipino American History Month with a new “Class of 2026” — a list of 10 Filipino Americans whose recent accomplishments span the Oscars, sports, film, food, journalism and music.

The project is Vargas’ way of widening the public picture of who Filipino Americans are and where they are making an impact. “There is no one way of being Filipino American,” Vargas wrote in announcing the list. “We represent our people everywhere.”

The 2026 class includes cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, filmmaker Januel Mercado, comedian Jo Koy, actor Jacob Batalon, food writer Yasmin Tayag, chef Rhoda Magbitang, NBA champion Jordan Clarkson, skier Tallulah Proulx, NFL kicker Jason Myers and singer Olivia Rodrigo.

Vargas, who was born in the Philippines and raised in the United States, is a journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, Tony-nominated producer and immigration-rights advocate. He founded Define American, a nonprofit media and culture organization that works to shift public narratives about immigrants through research, partnerships and storytelling.

He became nationally known after publicly revealing in a 2011 essay for The New York Times Magazine that he was undocumented. Since then, he has written the memoir Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen and produced the documentary Documented, which examined his life and the U.S. immigration system.

That background helps explain the purpose behind the FAHM class. Rather than treating Filipino American history solely as a story of the past, Vargas uses the annual list to document a living and changing community — one whose members are shaping culture, public life and representation in real time.

This year’s class

Arkapaw made Academy Awards history as the first woman to win the Oscar for best cinematography, earning the prize for her work on Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. She is also the first woman of color to win in the category.

Mercado is the writer and co-director of Forgotten Island, described as Hollywood’s first Filipino-centric animated feature. The film was directed with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joel Crawford and was released in September.

Jo Koy, the comedian who has built routines around Filipino family life and immigrant experience, was recognized for drawing a record-setting crowd for a comedy performance and becoming the first Filipino American entertainer to place his handprints and footprints at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Batalon, known globally for playing Ned Leeds in Marvel’s recent Spider-Man films, was included for starring in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The film is expected to be among the highest-profile releases of his career.

Tayag was recognized for winning a 2026 James Beard Media Award for food writing and health-and-wellness coverage for The Atlantic. Magbitang was included after becoming the first Filipina winner of Top Chef.

In sports, Clarkson became the first Filipino NBA champion after winning a title with the New York Knicks. Proulx became the first woman to represent the Philippines at a Winter Olympics, and Myers won a Super Bowl championship while setting the record for the most field goals in a Super Bowl, according to Vargas’ announcement.

Rodrigo, meanwhile, was recognized for founding an all-women music festival that sold out in 30 minutes and raised $20 million for charities supporting women.

A broader history

Filipino American History Month is observed every October. It marks the first recorded arrival of Filipinos in what is now the continental United States, at Morro Bay, California, on Oct. 18, 1587. The observance has grown into a month of public programs, classroom lessons, performances and community celebrations that examine both Filipino migration and the varied lives of Filipino Americans today.

Vargas’ list is not a formal award or a definitive ranking. It is a curated celebration intended to place Filipino American achievement in a shared historical record — from Hollywood and professional sports to kitchens, newsrooms and public storytelling.

It also emphasizes a point central to Vargas’ broader work: visibility is not merely symbolic. By naming people across professions and identities, the list gives younger Filipino Americans examples of success that do not fit one template.

Vargas also has a longstanding connection to the Filipino American community in New York: He was honored as a TOFA Awardee in 2011 at Carnegie Hall.