March 30, 2021 • bachelor insider
Catherine Lowe Opens Up About Her Filipino Mother, Taking Pride in Their Asian Culture, and Sharing It with Her Kids
Catherine Lowe stopped by “Bachelor Happy Hour” and spoke with co-hosts Rachel Lindsay and Becca Kufrin about the pride she has in being an Asian American woman.
“My mom is full Filipino. She’s born in the States and she is a Filipino historian,” the beloved Bachelor Nation figure said of her mother, whose parents originated from the Philippine province of Pangasinan.
“She has a book that she wrote, I think at 24 years old, about the Filipino history in the 1800s and the 1900s. So, she is very well-versed in the history of the Filipino community in the United States,” Catherine continued, adding that her mom runs a Filipino exhibit at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. “She is just so proud of her culture.”
The Washington state native said that she and her siblings were in touch with their Filipino heritage from a young age.
“We were so immersed in Filipino community in Seattle and now it’s part of me. It’s something that I love so much — the Filipino dancing and karaoke and food and the family and elders,” she said, explaining that she and husband Sean Lowe are making a concerted effort to keep those traditions alive with their own family.
“And something that I love is bringing the food and the stories to the forefront very early on,” she said. “With my kids, we start with food because that’s just something that they can grasp.”
Another way Catherine paid homage to her Asian culture is by naming her 15-month-old daughter Mia Mejia.
“When we were trying to figure out what kind of name we wanted to name our daughter, Mejia is my family and it’s my mom’s maiden name and it’s my grandmother’s last name. And Mejia is Filipino,” said the mom of three, who also shares sons Samuel, 4, and Isaiah, 2, with Sean.
“So, when we were talking about names, he said Mia,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘Mia’s OK.’ And he was like, ‘What about Mia Mejia?’ And I was like, ‘OK, yes, that is absolutely her name!”
Listen to Catherine’s entire “Bachelor Happy Hour” interview below.
