THE grandson of Hawaii Pineapple workers, FilAm Donovan Dela Cruz is living the dream that his grandparents set out for when they left the Philippines in the late 1940’s.
The 36-year-old Dela Cruz is a member of the Honolulu City Council representing District 2, which includes Mililani Mauka, Wahiawa, Whitmore Village, Mokuleia, Waialua, Haleiwa, Waimea, Pupukea, Sunset Beach, Kahuku, Laie, Hauula, Punaluu, Kahana, Kaaawa, Kualoa, Waiahole, Kahaluu, Ahuimanu, and a portion of Heeia. It is the largest and most rural area, covering almost a third of the island.
Born and raised in Wahiawa, Dela Cruz graduated from Leilehua High School in 1991 before enrolling at the University of Oregon.
According to the Honoluluweekly.com, Dela Cruz "led a busy extracurricular life."
"I was always actively involved, like serving as president of the Key Club," he told the Honolulu Weekly.
At the University of Oregon, he successfully had the local TV media outlets cover the Filipino club’s annual heritage night. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a BA degree in journalism and communications.
He went back to Hawaii after graduating where he worked in public relations.
A successful co-author of three guidebooks to tourists, at the age of 29, Dela Cruz joined the 2002 city council race for District 2.
He won the race and a year later, at 30, he was named the council chairman, the youngest person to hold the title. He is the Chair of the Public Health, Safety and Welfare Committee.
Aside from serving as a Honolulu city councilman, he is also the Marketing Director of Watermark Publishing. He has co-authored three guidebooks - The Okazu Guide, The Puka Guide and The Omiyage Guide.
Dela Cruz credits his paternal grandparents for all of his achievements. His paternal grandparents Rodrigo Dela Cruz came to work in the pineapple fields of Wahiawa, leaving his wife and family behind, according to his website. His wife, Feliciana, joined her husband months later.
The two came to Hawaii from the Philippines to seek a better life for themselves, wrote Dela Cruz.
His grandfather, Rodrigo, worked for Dole for more than 30 years and was a member of the ILWU union. Feliciana also worked in the plantation fields, and later worked in homes and the Airport Holiday Inn as a maid/housekeeper. She was also a member of the ILWU.
( Published on July 15, 2009 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. B2 )
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