Angel Frank is proud of her heritage. The senior sprinter for South Carolina track and field grew up in Charleston, but with her father, Carlos, hailing from the Philippines, she proudly had the opportunity to compete in the archipelagic country last month and won the Philippine National Championship in the 400 meters and also set a Philippine national record in the race.
"The more I run now, the more I see all of the opportunities I have had through track, especially with community and meeting other people from different backgrounds." - Angel Frank
"My father is Filipino," said Frank, who will graduate in May with a degree in visual communications. "They came over to the U.S. when he was three years old. He and my grandmother got their citizenship when they came here. I didn't have a lot of contact with my family over there. It was just my grandmother who instilled me with Filipino principles and food! That's what kept me connected.
"I was watching the previous Olympics, and there was an athlete who was African American and Filipino, and that triggered a desire in me to see if I could pursue that for myself. It started the process of me getting in contact with their national team and work towards dual citizenship."
Both of Frank's parents were college sprinters. Carlos ran track and played football at The Citadel, while her mother, Sindy, ran track at Roanoke College in Virginia. However, neither pushed her into running competitively.
