BORN and raised in the United States, Alas Pilipinas’ Jackson Reed finally got to live his Filipino grandfather's dream for him.
The 6-foot-1 Fil-American outside hitter made his sought-after national team debut in the Philippines’ 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 25-10 win over five-time Korean V-League champions Hyundai Skywalkers on Wednesday.
READ: Alas Men best newly-crowned Korean champs Skywalkers
There, Reed, 23, came off the bench swinging with three points on two quick attacks and one ace.
He was part of the Alas Men pool since last year among the selected few Philippine national team aspirants from the Fil-Am Nation Select open tryouts, but was held back by health issues at the time.
“It’s been a year in the making. I was supposed to be on the team last year, but I got really sick here the first time. Everything’s gone full circle, and it feels amazing,” Reed said.
When the opportunity to don the national tri-colors came knocking, Reed made sure to answer the call, seize a rare career milestone and honor his heritage.
“This is an opportunity that a lot of people back home in the US don’t get because that is a very competitive pool. There’s a lot of great players over there, and there’s so many great players here, too,” Reed said.
“I just want to do something different, and I wanted to honor my grandfather.”
By virtue of his Filipino-born and naturalized American grandfather being born before his mother, Philippine laws allow Reed to acquire Filipino citizenship — hence, his entry to the men’s volleyball national team.
And in the few months thus far, it’s been a worthwhile jump for the University of Southern California alumnus who, as an academic achiever, pursued his masters degree in marketing with an emphasis on digital marketing at Loyola University Chicago.
“My grandfather was born and raised in Pangasinan. He was the oldest of seven. He brought our entire family over to the States, so my mom is also Filipino,” Reed explained.
“My grandpa wasn’t naturalized in the United States until 1969, and my mom was born in 1968, so my therefore by law, I’m a Filipino citizen, and I got my citizenship last year.”
Jackson's thrilling dream realized
Now that Reed’s realized his Filipino dream, or at least the first few chapters of it, he won’t be taking any of this for granted with the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on the horizon
“It’s been a seamless transition. Everybody here is so nice and welcoming and I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to go to battle with,” Reed said,
“Overwhelming? I wouldn’t say so because I love it. I’m not taking this for granted because we don’t have stuff like this back home, and coming over here and experiencing something new is honestly what I came here for, and I’m loving it.”
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