CLIENT BIOGRAPHIES
Meet some of the clients currently part of Project Open Hand's communication network! Use these biographies to see who you would be interested in talking to!
KRISTEN TAYLOR
My name is Kristen and I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I opened up my clinic as a therapist for 30 years and I'm now retired and moved to California to be closer with my kids. In my spare time, I enjoy watching the sunset at beaches, reading books while crocheting, and doing puzzle crosswords!
ANDREW CHOI
My name is Andrew and I was born in Seoul, Korea. While studying architecture I came to the United States to become an architect for nearly 29 years. I currently live in a house in San Francisco in which I designed myself. I also enjoy sharing my knowledge through networking events with aspiring architects and other professionals that want to get their careers started in this industry.
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KATHRYN SANTOS
My name is Kathryn Santos. I was born and raised in the Philippines. I came to America to pursue my dreams of opening up my own restaurant. I love to cook all kinds of dishes, and I love to bake as well. I like to garden and knit in my free time.
MIGUEL LOPEZ
My name is Miguel Lopez, I was born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. I came to the United States in the 1980s to give my family the opportunities that I wish I had. It’s been a blessing seeing my children and their children prosper. In my free time, I love playing and watching soccer with my family.
JANE CLANCY
My name is Jane Clancy, I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and lived there my whole life up until a few years ago. I came to San Francisco after my children were all grown up. I always wanted to live in California as I have loved beaches since I was a young child. In my past time, I enjoy reading mystery books and working on puzzles!
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JOHNNY SMITH
My name is Johnny Smith. I was born and raised in Hayward, CA my entire life. I was an electrical engineer for the past 40 years but now I am retired. In my free time, I like playing football with my grandchildren and watching soccer with my family and eating pizza!
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JACKIE KIM
My name is Jackie Kim. I born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. I came to the bay area with my family to live out the American Dream! Since then, my parents opened a restaurant that I am the current proud owner of! If you like Korean food, we will be best friends!
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ARVINDER SINGH
My name is Arvinder Singh. I was born in New Delhi, India but came to the United States when I was still an infant. I was raised here in the Bay Area my entire life. I enjoy playing soccer, eating all types of food, and gardening. I love talking with people just about anything!
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MARY WONG
My name is Mary, and I was born in Guangzhou, China. I traveled all over the world to learn various cuisines of cooking from world-class restaurants and chefs. I am now a retired executive chef of a 3 Michelin Star restaurant that I worked in for over 27 years, while living in San Francisco. I still enjoy cooking every day.
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JANE COLLINS
My name is Jane, and I was born and raised in San Francisco. I was an executive chef for a 3 Michelin Star restaurant for over 23 years. I am now retired, and I enjoy reading and cooking new recipes to try.
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JOSEPH PATEL
My name is Joseph, and I was born in Mumbai, India. I moved to the Bay Area because of my passion for architecture and have continued to pursue it for over 27 years. I currently live in San Francisco. In my spare time, I organize events to help give advice to aspiring architects that want to get a start on their careers.
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MICHAEL JAMES
My name is Michael, and I was born in New York City, New York. My passion is in engineering, and I moved to Silicon Valley where I became an engineer for a hardware company for over 31 years. I have now retired and have been working on helping others get their careers started.
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JULIA NAM
My name is Julia and I was born in Seoul, Korea and moved to the States to pursue my passion of opening up a Korean American infused restaurant after completing my degree in Hospitality Management. I have now retired as my kids have taken over the restaurant and if you are a big foodie like me, I would love to connect with you!
TIFFANY NGUYEN
My name is Tiffany and I was born and raised in New York City and after completing my degree in Computer Science at NYU, I moved to California to work as a computer engineer for Google but now retired. I have a passion for technology and always keep updated with the latest trends!
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JUAN FERNANDEZ
My name is Juan and I was born and raised in Mexico and decided to move to the States to pursue the American dream as I wanted my kids to have a better education and opportunity. Over the years, I created a taco truck business in San Jose as that was my main source of income to provide for my family and now my kids have taken over the business and expanded it. Some fun facts about me include watching soccer and listening to Hispanic music!
JATIN SINGH
My name is Jatin and I was born and raised in India but moved to the States with my parents at a young age. After pursuing my business degree in entrepreneurship, I decided to open an Indian American infused restaurant to fulfil my passion of owning a business. Now that I have retired and left the business to my brother, I enjoy gardening and being sociable!
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LILY PARSONS
My name is Lily Parsons. I was born and raised in Oakland, CA my entire life. I was a nanny for the last 48 years but now I am retired. In my free time, I love to cook and make new foods for my grandchildren when they visit me.
BAO DAIYU
My name is Bao Daiyu. I was born and raised in China. I have been a homemaker all my life but I am alone now and would love to make some friends. My biggest passion includes cooking and trying new recipes as well as watching tv shows.
CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON
My name is Christopher Johnson. I was born and raised in New Jersey. I was a civil engineer for the past 42 years but now I am retired. In my free time, I enjoy watching sports on television. My family means the world to me, so I enjoy spending as much time as I can with my family. Without them I would not have pushed myself to be who I am today.
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WILLIAM JENSEN
My name is William Jensen. I was born and raised in New York city and moved to california after completing my college education. I am a retired professor and am very passionate about the world of education. I also enjoy listening to classical music in my free time.
VALERIA RODRIGUEZ
My name is Valeria Rodriguez. I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado and moved here after I got married. I currently live by myself and would love to make some new friends. I am a retired high school teacher. In my free time, I enjoy reading books and love listening to and watching operas.
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EDITH LOPEZ
My name is Edith Lopez. I was born in Guerrero, Mexico. I came to the US to be with my daughter and grandchildren. I used to be a painter and enjoy painting landscapes, as well as owning a small shop to sell my paintings. After coming to the states, I have found a new interest in pottery aside from teaching my grandchildren to paint.
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PHILLIP HUANG
My name is Phillip Huang. I grew up in Taiwan. I like cooking and used to own a restaurant. I came to America with my wife to let my children go to school here. I have now opened a restaurant in Chinatown. In my free time I like to read. I look forward to meeting new people.
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HELEN CHAN
My name is Helen Chan. I was born in Shanghai and immigrated to the states when I was fourteen years old. I was a musician when I was younger playing the piano. I was a piano teacher but am now retired. I sometimes teach my nieces and nephews to play whenever they come over to visit. One of my hobbies is to do tai-chi and paint. I have two lovely cats.
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CHRISTOPHER REYES
My name is Christopher Reyes. I was born and raised in Mexico. I was a farmer and moved to America for a better job. I owned an auto shop but is now managed by my son. I like to watch soccer on TV and play the guitar. My favorite food is tacos.
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TIMOTHY WONG
My name is Timothy Wong. I was born and raised in China. I was an industrial worker and moved to America to pursue a better life for my family and for myself. I am now the chef at a family owned restaurant and I plan to retire soon. My family and I love to eat Chinese food and play instruments like the piano.
AYUSH DHAR
My name is Ayush Dhar and I was born and raised in India. My parents sold our current estate in India for me to move to the United States. I am now living a better life with a wife and kids and I work as a clerk at a convenience store. I enjoy eating Indian and Asian food and enjoy exercising like running and reading books.
JAMAL WASHINGTON
My name is Jamal Washington and I was born and raised in the United States. My parents could not afford me a college education so I worked several jobs growing up. I worked until I had the money to pursue further education and I now work in the airline industry as a manager. I enjoy watching sports on tv and I plan to retire soon.
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LIANE RA
My name is Liane Lee and I was born and raised in Korea. I have immigrated to the United States to pursue a career in computer science. I attended college when I moved here and started working as soon as I graduated. I enjoy reading books, cooking, and going for long walks.
MARCUS BANKS
My name is Marcus Banks and I was born and raised in Kentucky, Ohio and moved to California to pursue a career in transportation. I was never able to afford going to many places growing up, so I made it a life goal to move to California. I now work as a manager in the train industry and I enjoy traveling, watching movies, and fishing.