My family immigrated from the Philippines to SF Bay Area when I was 4yrs old. My mom was pre-school teacher at Lake Merritt Childcare Center in Oakland CA. My dad forged airplane parts at Wyman and Gordon. Thanks to their hard work to settle in the USA, I was fortunate to have all my education at culturally diverse school is in the Bay Area: Lum School in Alameda, Hesperian and SLz High in San Lorenzo, then undergrad at UC Berkeley.
It was difficult for me to find a job after majoring in Religious Studies at UC Berkeley. People would joke that I should be a preacher, so I was inspired to find a cause I was extremely passionate about. Today I am an advocate for the Buy Local Movement.
My then-fiance, now wife Mari agreed to start our blog Shift Local to share our new lifestyle devoted to raising awareness how important it is to patronize indie, locally-owned businesses aka mom-and-pop shops. The best way to preach is to lead by example.
What is my passion: Strengthen LOCAL COMMUNITY
Working Marketing and Membership at Sustainable Business Alliance / Oakland Grown