Mel's Short Biography
I was born at the old Vallejo General Hospital on Tennessee Street in
1961. I attended Steffan Manor Elementary School, Springstowne Junior
High, and graduated from Hogan High School in 1979. As a teenager, I
got into a lot of trouble, had issues with alcohol and drugs and had two
kids before I was 19 years old. I needed to get my life straightened out so
I started with Solano Community College. I did well enough there that I
was able to transfer to CSU, Sacramento in 1982. I also brought my two
children with me and became a single father college student. I
persevered and sacrificed and was able to graduate with two BA degree
- one in Journalism and another in Ethnic Studies. It may have taken me
nine years but I did it.
While in college I became hooked on community service. My first job was
as a Teen Father counselor for the YWCA in Sacramento. I also applied
for graduate school at San Francisco State and was accepted into the
Ethnic Studies Masters Degree Program. So I moved from Sacramento to
San Francisco. I also obtained a full-time job at Filipinos for Affirmative
Action in Oakland.
In 1994 I married Belle Santos and bought a house back in Vallejo. It was
great to be back home. Since then I founded the PAPA Program - teen
pregnancy prevention, and then worked at Fighting Back Partnership
addressing substance abuse problems in Vallejo till 1996. I am now the
Community and Government Relations Manager for a large HMO. I love
my community and have been involved in a wide variety of organizations
and community events(see below). I hope to take my community service
to another level if elected to the Solano Community College Board in
November.
1961. I attended Steffan Manor Elementary School, Springstowne Junior
High, and graduated from Hogan High School in 1979. As a teenager, I
got into a lot of trouble, had issues with alcohol and drugs and had two
kids before I was 19 years old. I needed to get my life straightened out so
I started with Solano Community College. I did well enough there that I
was able to transfer to CSU, Sacramento in 1982. I also brought my two
children with me and became a single father college student. I
persevered and sacrificed and was able to graduate with two BA degree
- one in Journalism and another in Ethnic Studies. It may have taken me
nine years but I did it.
While in college I became hooked on community service. My first job was
as a Teen Father counselor for the YWCA in Sacramento. I also applied
for graduate school at San Francisco State and was accepted into the
Ethnic Studies Masters Degree Program. So I moved from Sacramento to
San Francisco. I also obtained a full-time job at Filipinos for Affirmative
Action in Oakland.
In 1994 I married Belle Santos and bought a house back in Vallejo. It was
great to be back home. Since then I founded the PAPA Program - teen
pregnancy prevention, and then worked at Fighting Back Partnership
addressing substance abuse problems in Vallejo till 1996. I am now the
Community and Government Relations Manager for a large HMO. I love
my community and have been involved in a wide variety of organizations
and community events(see below). I hope to take my community service
to another level if elected to the Solano Community College Board in
November.
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| I have a long record of involvement throughout a broad cross section of the community throughout the years. |
CIVIC
POLITICAL
COMMUNITY-BASED
ARTS & CULTURE
- City of Vallejo Cultural Commission - past
- City of Fairfield ATOD Taskforce - current
- Solano Community Foundation - current
- Vallejo Executive Lion’s Club - current
- Synergy Coalition under Fighting Back Partnership - current
- Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Advisory Council, Wash. D.C. - past
- Fairfield Daily Republic newspaper Diversity Board - current
- Solano Community College Puente Program Mentor - past
POLITICAL
- NAACP, member - current
- Northern CA Vice Chair, CA State Filipino American Democratic Caucus - past
- Filipino American Democratic Club of Vallejo President - current
- Solano County Democratic Central Committee - current
- Carquinez Democratic Club, member - current
- United Democratic Club, member - current
COMMUNITY-BASED
- Fighting Back Partnership - former Executive Director
- Benicia Vallejo Humane Society, Board Member - past
- Historic Herbert House, Board Member - past
- Black Infant Health Board of Director member - past
- Filipino American Social Services Past Board Pres & Exec. Director - current
- Bayanihan Center, Volunteer Managing Director - current
- PAPA Program (Teen Pregnancy Prevention) - founder and past Director
- Serving Our Latinos (SOL), member - current
ARTS & CULTURE
- Vallejo Community Arts Foundation, Board member - current
- Villasin Balintawak Arnis Academy, Assistant Instructor - current
- Vallejo Shoreline Jazz Festival Committee Member - past
- Vallejo Camera Club, President - current
- Vallejo Artists Guild, member - current
- Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum Board member - current
- Filipino American National Historical Society - Founder/President – current
- City ofVallejo Unity Festival, committee member - past
- Vallejo Juneteenth Celebration, health committee member - current
Links to Organizations Mel belongs to as a Board Member