Did you know that there’s a Filipino American behind Blake House, Seattle’s first affordable high rise in over 50 years? October is Filipino/Filipina/Filipinx American History Month, and we’re celebrating Plymouth’s very own Michelle Umadhay.  

Michelle received recognition for her work on Blake House at the building’s grand opening celebration.

“You know, I do this work because it’s good work. Being the minority in most spaces here in Washington, including Asian/Asian American spaces, I honestly don’t think about the fact that I’m typically the only Filipino in the room, or even how few Filipino developers there are in Seattle.”

Michelle started at Plymouth Housing in November 2020 as the senior real estate developer for Blake House. A joint development with Bellwether Housing, Blake House opened in May in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood and features 112 studios apartments for seniors and veterans who have experienced chronic homelessness. As a developer, Michelle manages the whole lifecycle of a building project, from construction to move-in, to post-construction. 

Michelle was the first of her family to be born in America. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines in the early 1980s, landing in San Francisco. Like many Filipino men of the time, her paternal grandfather served the U.S. during World War II as part of the U.S. Armed Forces in the Far East. He paved the way for the rest of her family to eventually come to the U.S. In the Philippines, Michelle’s parents were both highly educated, with her father graduating in architecture, and her mother completing her law degree and working for the Ministry of Justice. However, Michelle notes, after immigrating to the U.S., her parents sacrificed much of their professional careers to focus on survival and building a life in America. 

Plymouth Housing is grateful for Michelle’s contributions to our mission and to all our Filipino American staff, residents, and community members. 

Maraming Salamat!