Deirdre Levy is a New York City special education teacher, children's book author, and community leader of Filipino and Jewish heritage. A longtime advocate for Filipino American visibility, Deirdre co-created Bodega Princess through Project Barkada, a collaborative effort to bring Filipino authors into US classrooms and introduce FilAm culture to mainstream audiences. What began in April 2022 has grown into a movement backed by teachers, writers, and artists across the country. Deirdre has also served her community beyond the classroom, running for NYC Council in 2021. Her work is rooted in a single conviction: that children deserve to see their culture reflected in the books they read at school.