Adelfa

Hi friend! I am a Christian and a first generation immigrant mixed with Filipino, Chinese, Spanish and Japanese. I didn’t come from a wealthy family. But with God’s grace, I hope to continue to be a steward of God’s blessing to help those in need. 

Growing up in the Philippines, I never had expensive toys or a big yard with a playground. I grew up in a farm in the small province of the Philippines. When the catastrophic volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo destroyed our home and means of livelihood, my parents who worked inside the US base at that time was offered an opportunity of a lifetime to come to the USA as a family. After 3 years of migrating to the USA, I lost my father when I was 11 years old to terminal colorectal cancer. My mother worked 2-3 jobs to raise me and my three older siblings. I witnessed how she strived to always prioritize God first despite her many struggles. My parents are the heroes of my faith. 

I started working at the age of 12 years old to help my family. I worked numerous jobs while studying all throughout my academic life. I also led many charitable projects in my communities and I was a recipient of various scholarships. With God’s help, I graduated with two degrees debt free. 

I climbed the corporate ladder pretty quickly but a turning point in my life was the year my husband and I got married. We were let go from what we thought was a “secure and stable” healthcare jobs just a couple of months before our wedding. We had savings but we were jobless for almost a year and had to use our credit cards to make it through each day. We were overwhelmed with debt. It was a very painful experience and that’s when the entrepreneur side of me was born. I realized that I can’t rely on my employers or the government to help me. I had to help myself first. I said to myself that, “I’m not going to work for someone else for the rest of my life”. I was determined to build my own businesses and my own ladder to financial freedom.