I was raised in a family shaped by a father who was a military officer and chief investigator, and my mother, a full-time homemaker who stretched every resource to provide for our family of six. Growing up as the eldest child, I often stood beside my mother, helping in every way I could. Life was not easy. I remember the times when two eggs had to be shared among four children, but my parents instilled in us values of perseverance, sacrifice, and faith.

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My mother’s frugality and my father’s big dreams left a lasting mark on me. She saved for even the smallest needs, including her own burial, while he envisioned founding a bank for soldiers after his retirement. It didn't materialize. Back then, I was busy creating my own destiny as a financial and management auditor. But it was more than enough to spark in me an inspiration in my continued pursuits to create more businesses. My family’s history carried its own sense of greatness, my grandfather, Francisco T. Bueno, once walked alongside General Douglas MacArthur on the beaches of Leyte and later represented the Philippines in the United Nations Assembly. Those roots of discipline, sacrifice, and leadership helped shape my own calling.

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Education became my ladder out of poverty, but it was not without struggle. There were moments when I almost could not continue school because of financial hardship. Yet God made a way, I earned scholarships both through academic excellence and as a beneficiary of my father’s military service. These opened the doors to my education and gave me the chance to pursue my dreams. I poured myself into learning and leadership, eventually becoming editor-in-chief of my high school paper and earning an academic scholarship in college. My love for writing and learning became the foundation of my resilience. 

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At age 17, I gave my life to Christ and never turned back. That decision shaped my character and calling. I became a student pastor during both high school and college, serving as a leader and mentor to others while strengthening my own walk of faith.

Life has been both challenging and rewarding. I married Harold, the love of my life, and together we’ve raised two children who are now pursuing careers in healthcare. I became a grandmother earlier than most, and this season of life has brought me new joy and renewed purpose of raising a grandson in America while continuing to support my children as they find their way in their chosen fields.

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At my core, I am driven by the passion to elevate people one person at a time. My leadership is not about sternness but about impact, meeting needs where they are, and inspiring others to dream bigger and work both hard and wise. I believe that legacy is not just what we leave behind, but how we build people along the way.

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I have always loved words. Often, while driving through San Jose, I find myself silently reciting poems in my head, inspired by the beauty of what I see and the depth of what I experience. Words have been my companions, words are a way to frame meaning, capture truth, and give voice to the things that stir my heart.

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My professional training as an auditor further shaped the way I see the world. It trained me to notice the flaws in operating and prevailing systems, the gaps in processes, the details that silently undermine growth. At first, this sharpened eye could have led me only toward fault-finding, but instead it awakened in me something greater: the passion for fault-correcting. I discovered that my true strength lay not in pointing out weaknesses, but in transforming them into opportunities, training people, refining systems, and building improvements that bring lasting change.

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This merging of passions, both for words that inspire and for systems that improve became the foundation of my life’s work. I fell in love with the idea of authoring change: not just through poetry and reflection, but through action. My purpose is to commit myself to the improvement of lives, one person at a time, through the businesses entrusted to me and my husband. Every effort, whether in leadership, mentorship, or enterprise, is anchored in this calling: to inspire, to serve, and to empower.