Throughout the month of October, we celebrated Filipino history and culture in honor of Filipino American History Month. As an immigration law firm comprised of immigrants from multiple countries, we are proud to highlight immigrants – and children of immigrants – who work hard to live out their dreams in the U.S. Today, we are honored to highlight Deneza Jadol and the pursuit of her dream of becoming a professional musician.
Our Managing Partner, Fiona, had the honor of meeting Deneza at a recent event – the DCB Brand Showcase – in our 2112 office space. DBC is a top creative agency in Chicago, founded by Faith Anderson-McEntee, wife of our partner, Ray McEntee, who also happens to be a proud Filipina American.
Deneza with our managing partner Fiona McEntee’s daughter Rose
Deneza Jadol is the daughter of two immigrants who moved to the U.S. from the Philippines. Her mother spent two years nursing in Saudi Arabia in order to gain sponsorship to work in the U.S. Once she arrived, she had to work an additional year in Texas to gain sponsorship for Deneza’s father. After some time, her parents moved to Indiana to be closer to Deneza’s aunt. Deneza and her brother were both born and raised in Indiana.
While always having a passion and flair for music, Deneza followed in her mother’s footsteps and studied nursing at Purdue University. During her time at college, her mother was diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy, is a neurological disease that affects the nervous system. She grew very sick, but was still able to see Deneza graduate with a nursing degree before unfortunately passing away.
Deneza worked as a travel nurse for several years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic where there was a huge shortage of nurses as the system strained under the severe demands caused by the outbreak of the virus. Travel nurses and agency nurses played a crucial role during the pandemic, being called into understaffed hospitals in temporary positions and helping people on the front line. Deneza acted as a mentor to new nursing graduates and relished in her role as a teacher, showing them how to deal with the day-to-day responsibilities of nursing.
Her job as a nurse did not stop Deneza from her other dream of pursuing a career in music. The flexibility of working on a contract-to-contract basis meant that she was able to take breaks from nursing to recharge and write her own songs. Deneza recently moved to Chicago to get more exposure to the music industry here. Where she grew up in Indiana, there wasn’t much of a Filipino community and Deneza used the opportunity of being in a major city like Chicago to embrace her immigrant roots. In her music, you can see that she draws inspiration from her parents’ life as immigrants and her life as a young Filipino woman in the United States. Deneza’s beautiful single – “Daughter of Immigrants” – pays tribute to her late mother. She sings about honoring her mother in her own way, through her music.
In an interview with Victor Chan on his YouTube channel and podcast I am Consciously Curious, Deneza speaks of her conflict between following her mother’s footsteps in a career of nursing and her pursuit of a career in music.
Deneza is also an outspoken advocate for mental health in immigrant communities, calling hereself the “Filipinx Chicago Advocate of mental health and immigrant families.”
“I traded so much to be able to be the figure for our community that I’m trying to be now. And for that, I am honored,”
In recent months, due to her incredible talent and unstoppable determination, Deneza’s music career has really taken off. In October, Deneza performed at the Yellow Door Listening Room and was overwhelmed with the support she received. She performed a number of her own original songs about her family life and Filipino heritage. Deneza has worked hard in the recording studio in preparation for her solo album. She has already released the single, “Daughter of Immigrants” and will continue releasing more singles over the coming months. We hope you join us in following and supporting her.
Deneza Jadol’s story is an inspiration for young Filipino woman and immigrant families across the United States: do not be afraid to pursue you dreams! As a nurse and a musician, Deneza is an inspiration to us all!
You can follow her on Instagram HERE
If you’d like to pursue your American Dream but don’t know where or how to start- don’t worry, McEntee Law Group‘s got you! Call our office at (773)828-9544 or email info@mcenteelaw.com.
