Community honors memory of Fil-Am educator, Republican leader

Photo by Erin Pangilinan

SAN FRANCISCO – Filipino American educator and community leader Christina Laskowski, the former chair of the San Mateo County Republican Party who was running for the San Mateo-Foster City School District, has died. She was 57.

Laskowski served as an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco, where she taught entrepreneurial marketing and planning.

“Christina lived a life of joy and loved connecting people…and the celebration will embrace this and thus the dress code for both events will be festive,” said the invitation to a Mass and reception honoring her life and legacy.

Laskowski’s friend, Cristina Osmeña, said she and Laskowski were texting and “in the middle of a conversation” on the day of her passing.

Osmeña said she was shocked and devastated after hearing the sad news from Fil-Am community leader Rudy Asercion and Laskowski’s eldest son, Alexander.

Christina Laskowski (left) and Cristina Osmeña / Photo from Cristina Osmeña)

“I’ve known Christina Laskowski for almost three decades. We both worked in Equity Research at Hambrecht & Quist at different times. So we met over that connection and then we realized we had a lot more in common. We were very close during those days,” Osmeña said. “She was one of my besties when I was young and single.”

One of her fondest memories of their friendship was watching the movie, “Ever After.”

“When she passed, I watched the movie again and thought of her. It’s funny that we’ve been through so many bigger things together, like running for office. But my most poignant memory of her is bonding over this movie,” Osmeña said.

“I always thought she would be one of the friends I would grow old with. I assume she knew that and thought the same. While I might tell her that as parting words, I don’t think parting words are enough. My friend is gone. She is no longer part of the world I live in. The richness of the future is thus diminished,” laments Osmeña.

Erin Malonzo Pangilinan – Laskowski’s co-advocate at the Science & Technology Advisory Council (STAC ) – was also in disbelief when she heard the news from STAC President Kendrick Kho.

“My fondest memory of Christina was her making me turon when I visited her house for a meeting. It was the best turon, which she (placed) on banana leaves. She made it special,” Pangilinan recalled.

Laskowski and Pangilinan – founder and president of the Filipino Americans in Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (FASTER) – had known each other for the past decade.

From left: Kendrick Kho, Christina Laskowski, Erin Pangilinan, Dado and Maria Banatao at Stanford University. Photo from Erin Pangilinan

Pangilinan, who described Laskowski as a very supportive mentor, said she would like people to remember Laskowski’s tremendous efforts to help the Philippines become more self-sufficient in terms of economic development and in the area of STEAM (science, technology engineering, arts and math).

“She was an educator and mentor to countless other entrepreneurs, investors, young professionals and students. She touched the lives of many,” Pangilinan said.

While serving as president of STAC Silicon Valley, Laskowski was conferred the Order of the Golden Heart by then Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2010.

Her leadership helped to strengthen technology ecosystem collaboration between Silicon Valley, the Philippines and the ASEAN region.

Laskowski died at California Pacific Medical Center on Oct. 23, 2024. She was survived by her husband, Daniel, and two sons.