About / Founder
Ermenildo Castro
I build the tools I wished I had inside.
Founder of Asia Pacific Cultural Studios. Justice-impacted, a former Google engineer, and today a public advocate working in the community.
Where I've been
I am justice-impacted. I made mistakes that cost me my freedom, and I have worked hard to learn from them. Owning what I did, and choosing who I would become, was where real change began.
What it felt like inside
Incarceration is lonely in a way that is hard to explain. I longed to be connected to my family, my community and my culture, and most days they felt out of reach. That isolation weighs on everyone inside, and on the families waiting at home.
What I saw around me
I watched the people around me carry stress, shame and grief with nowhere to put it, and I carried it too. Mental health mattered as much as anything. I saw how much we all needed simple tools: ways to slow down, breathe on purpose and find a few calm minutes in a loud day.
Why I build games
Tablets are now in nearly every facility. I want what runs on them to elevate the mind: games that sharpen real skills, and that make room for the harder work of healing from the emotional and psychological weight of what we did. That is why every Lantern Suite game has a breathing pause, gentle feedback that never shames, and a living culture to connect with.
People need grace to change. When someone comes home truly rehabilitated, with sharper skills, steadier habits and their roots intact, their family is stronger and they are less likely to return. That is the goal, and these games are one piece of a larger effort to reach it.
Living proof
I am living proof that people can learn from their mistakes and give back. I am a former Google engineer, and today I am a public advocate, working in the community.
Asia Pacific Cultural Studios brings both sides of my life together: the engineering to build software that runs on any tablet, and the lived experience to know what it should do.
Serving my community
Since coming home in 2024, I have built a life of service. I serve as Recorder, an elected officer of Knights of Columbus Council 15462 in Tacoma, part of the Catholic fraternal service organization devoted to charity, unity and fraternity.
In 2026, our council earned the Star Council Award, the Knights of Columbus honor for councils that excel in growth and in serving faith, family and community. Standing with my brothers that day was a testament to what grace and a second chance make possible.
Let's talk
I am glad to brief program and procurement teams, speak with community groups, and hear from people who have been inside and their families.