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A Glorious Day.
Exactly 25 years ago, a legend was born. Kristine is what her parents named her. An angel, they thought. What a ride they would be in for! Pictured here is Kristine in San Jose, CA, 1995. -
Bay Area Native
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Kristine knows the area like the back of her hand. Living in Union City as a toddler, her family slowly made the descent to the south bay area. Her first move as a child was to Newark. It was here that Kristine grew her roots. This move shaped her as it made her realize how lucky she was... some kids her age have only lived in the same house their entire life! Image: Union City to Newark, California, 1995. -
Life in the Philippines.
1995-1999, Kristine had a very structured life in the East Bay. She decided she needed a change. In 1999, she moved to the Philippines for 1 year. This experience changed her life as she was able to go to school abroad, learning about her culture, interacting with natives, speaking the language, and of course meeting her extended family. Image: Philippine modes of transportation; a Jeepney and a tricycle, 1999. -
The Millennium!
Spent in the Philippines, the year 2000 was a great start for new beginnings. Returning back to the states, the southern descent continued. From Newark they went to Sunnyvale. This return shaped her life by again expanding her horizons, going to a new school and exposing her to different groups of people. In life applications, this has made her adapt easily to her surroundings as she gets along with everyone. Image: First time carving a pumpkin in Sunnyvale, 2001. -
A New Addition in Brentwood, CA.
This year proved very eventful for Kristine. From Sunnyvale she moved to Brentwood. She has never lived outside of the Bay Area, let alone in a two-story house! This year she was also gifted her first sibling, an angel they named Jason. She learned how to get up extremely early as she still went to school in the bay, waking up almost 2 hours earlier than before. Pictured is Kristine with Jason (me). -
The Big Change!
Kristine always had a love for animals, and on her 13th birthday she decided to make it known. She went full pescetarian. She always thought, 'How can someone eat one animal, but care for another, like eating a pig but caring for a dog?' This changed her life by completely altering her viewpoints on animals as well as wanting to educate people about them, and how their choices affected the world. Image: Pebble Beach, CA; 2004. -
Personality Traits.
Having the freedom to go pescetarian, Kristine was lucky enough to express her personality in other ways. She listened to the music she wanted to, not unlike her friends who all listened to the same radio station. This music is something Kristine still listens to from time to time. Those same tunes are what gave her her unique personality. The picture is her guitar with her favorite band logo on it (Blink-182). She has since given the guitar to Jason. -
Middle School Style.
Just as her tastes in music were different from her friends', so was her sense of style. Shown here is Kristine's outfit for one of her middle school dances. Although she has not mastered her fashion sense here (as you can see...), these times were integral to her experimentation and ultimately leading to her love of fashion. -
The Second Brother.
March 7, 2007 is the day that Kristine's second brother was born. Having already a little brother, this new addition is more exciting than nerve-wracking. She is very grateful for the lessons her first brother taught her and knows she can apply those same skills to the youngest. The image shown is of Jacob, our little brother. -
School-Life Events.
Throughout her time in high school, Kristine had her fair share of first's: Homecoming, Winter Formal, and various Proms. Since her boyfriend at the time was a bit older, Kristine had 4 opportunities to dress for prom, instead of the usual 2. These events were significant to Kristine as she found her love for fashion--the craftsmanship, the designs, the use of different textures and patterns, as well as the exclusivity of certain pieces. Shown here is Kristine in an Anna Sui gown, F/W 2008. -
The Euro Trip.
Through her school, Kristine was able to tour Europe with a few of her classmates. Although she has been to Europe once before, this new trip granted her wish of visiting London and Paris. In addition the UK and France, Kristine also traveled through Switzerland to visit a few cities in Italy. This trip was very significant to Kristine as it opened her eyes to a different way of life, coming to a conclusion that she will own property here some day. Shown is Kristine on the London Eye. -
High-School Graduation!
Kristine was so happy to finally finish high school. She's been wanting to get her life started and graduating meant she now had a 'notch' in her belt. This event was significant in her life as it was the transition from being a 'kid in grade-school' to an 'adult in college'. However Kristine knew that her academics were far from over. Not just that, she knew in order to be considered an adult she must now find a job... Shown here is Kristine at her graduation with Jacob, our mom, and myself. -
First Job, First Car.
Kristine's first job was working for a hard-drive company. This job taught her the true meaning of being responsible, as well as learning some time-management skills. Because of her now-responsible traits, her parents helped get her her first car. Shown here is her 2009 C300, with myself in the background. -
School and Work Balance.
Kristine's new work schedule is proving to be very rigorous. Going to school M-F from noon to 4 she also works every other Wednesday, Th-Sunday morning... from 5pm to 5am. This left Kristine no time to herself; if she wasn't at work she was at home working on her studies. Her motivation was to finish her GE so she could work on her Bachelor's and Masters at Palo Alto University in Psych. She endured this schedule for almost a year until she knew she had to place school as her main priority. -
Rescuing an Animal!
Kristine never thought she would rescue an animal. Admiring the animal rescuers, she knew she also had what it took. Her wish was granted on one fateful day. Driving down a random road in Central California visiting a friend's parents, a frail dog approached her. She fed the dog a sandwich and went inside. A few hours passed, this dog was still outside. Kristine knew this was destiny; she posted 'Found Dog' flyers but no one showed up. She kept the dog and became the new owner. -
New Job = Happy Family!
Kristine was offered a job at Tesla and she accepted it right away. She had better benefits and opportunities at the new job, and it didn't hurt that Elon Musk was also one of her role models. Elon has worked very hard to get where he is and Kristine hopes to work just as hard. Pictured is Kristine's longtime boyfriend of 6.5 years with their rescued Staffordshire Terrier, Mamas. -
New Position, New Opportunities.
Kristine was offered a new position through Tesla in Supply Chain. She explains this was an important moment in her life because being in Supply Chain meant she had more responsibilities, as well as more opportunities to better the company as a whole. Pictured is Kristine in the frunk (front trunk) of a Model S. -
Passion for Animals at Andy's!
Kristine was lucky enough to have the opportunity to volunteer and one of the coolest animal rescues in town. In November she started volunteering at Andy's Pet Shop in San Jose. Contrary to the name, it isn't a "pet shop" where they sell animals, but rather a store that sells animal merchandise but fosters rescue* animals. Volunteering her time here is very important because she is able to showcase her love for animals by feeding, cleaning, and loving them, as well as also tidying up the store. -
Model 3 Ramp-Up = Work in Overdrive!
As we all know, Tesla has had the plan to create a mass-market electric vehicle. The Roadster was high-cost, low volume. The Model S is a little lower in cost but much higher in volume. The Model X is Tesla's first dive into an SUV with a similar price tag as its predecessors. Now the new Model 3 (pictured) is expected to start at $35k, being the first mass-market sedan planned by the company. This means early days, and long nights at work. This can get tiring for some, but not for Kristine. -
May 17th, a Quarter Century!
Today is Kristine's 25th birthday. To conclude this timeline is a image of Kristine and her boyfriend during the Sharks' most recent win against the Predators. The Sharks were always present throughout her life. While living in the East Bay, but more common now living in the South Bay--she will be a Sharks fan 'til death. Kristine's wishes for her birthday would be taking home the Stanley Cup, rescuing more animals, adding more work responsibilities, as well as finding more time for travel.
