Coming from a humble background and inspired by his parents’ hard work and dedication, BYU–Hawaii student prepares for a career at the International Court of Justice
When John Lidang was 12 years old, he said his family moved to the United States from the Philippines. To commemorate this event, Lidang said his family of four shared one hamburger from McDonald’s. This became a tradition for their family every year, he shared. Even on his mission, Lidang said he ate a fourth of a hamburger on the anniversary. Although he is in Hawaii, away from his family, Lidang said he still celebrated their 12th anniversary of moving to the U.S. on Sept. 25.
As a youth, Lidang said he watched and admired his parents’ hard work and commitment to conquer difficult trials they faced. This inspired Lidang to put his best foot forward in every area of his life which gave him the confidence to do whatever he put his mind to, he explained. Despite the many struggles that came with moving to the U.S., Lidang said he lives his life with the mindset that he might not be able to change his circumstances, but he can certainly change what he accomplishes.
Today, the junior political science major from Las Vegas, Nevada, said he works as a political science peer mentor to help other students in the political science program, plans to attend law school and work as a judge in the International Court of Justice. He said he also is writing and sharing the stories of students all around the world. “While we are at BYU–Hawaii, we have resources, stories, and so much diversity. It’s an untapped potential and I want to be the platform to share it with others,” said Lidang.
Accomplishments
One of Lidang’s many accomplishments, he said, has been learning seven languages. With his first language being Tagalog, he also fluently speaks Ilokano, English, French, German, Spanish and American Sign Language. In high school, Lidang said he barely spoke English while those around him were so skilled. Still, he said this did not stop him from putting his best foot forward in all of his endeavors.
In high school, Lidang said he ran for class presidencies which led to him being selected to represent his school for Nevada Boys State. According to Lidang, Boys State is a type of simulation where high school students all over the state come together for a week to engage in debating and considering bills, said Lidang.
While he was at the state capital for a week, Lidang was elected to be the Speaker of the House. Although English was more difficult for him than it was for his native English speaking peers, Lidang said he worked hard and was successful.
When Lidang was asked by a fellow peer why he should be the speaker, he recalled what his dad once said regarding his successful business back in the Philippines. Lidang replied to the question, “because I can work.” That phrase has stuck with him, and Lidang said he won by majority vote. He said his “parents have been the source of [his] inspiration.”
Inspiring others
Lidang said this experience inspired other students to overcome their own roadblocks with confidence and also put their best foot forward. While inspiring others, he said he also learned English proficiency is not a measurement of intelligence - it’s just a language. “If I can speak seven of them, I can very well work,” said Lidang.
After this experience, Lidang said he knew he wanted to do something with government and have a platform to help and inspire others. “If I can do it, [others] can too,” he said.
In addition, Lidang served as the company commander in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC), the president of Student Organization for Latinos, the president of the Advanced Placement (AP) society and founded an after school choir program for students who couldn’t do school choir due to conflicting schedules. Lidang said he lives with an attitude of “you can do whatever you put your mind to.”
Full-circle moment
After returning from his mission in Hawaii, Lidang said he attended BYU Idaho in the fall of 2019 and one of his first writing projects was to gather a story about someone. At this time, Lidang said his home ward in Las Vegas had just opened up to refugees from Africa. He said he decided to write his story about a young boy named Shadrack. To complete this story, Lidang said he flew from Idaho to Las Vegas not only to interview Shadrack, but to attend his court ceremony to finally be sworn in as a citizen of the United States.
Lidang explained for him, this was a full-circle moment as he had recently celebrated his milestone of being in the U.S. for 10 years. “We were finally gaining citizenship and these people are coming into the U.S. just like my family was 10 years prior,” said Lidang. He explained, “This country gave me a lot of opportunities and I want to give back.” He said this was another experience that sparked his desire to work in government, so that others could have the opportunities he had.
Spreading inspiration
In his interview with Shadrack, Lidang said he learned a lot about Shadrack’s experiences, traumas and overall life story. It was after this writing project about Shadrack, Lidang said he wanted to continue writing stories of people. “We all have our own problems and while hearing others’ stories doesn’t take them away, it helps you to evaluate your own life and think more about others rather than focusing on yourself,” said Lidang.
Lidang said his desire to serve others and learn their stories grew while he was a trip leader with the non-profit organization Humanitarian Experience that went to Malta this past summer. He said this hit home for him as he and his group worked with refugees. According to Lidang, his life was changed by the opportunity he had in America and he hopes to give others the same.