Famela Oliva: Parscian By The Bay Area
By: Niño Sandil
Ate Famela… 1st Batch… Class of 1994….
Who is Ate Famela? Well, her FaceBook profile reads:
- “One of the guys” – don’t like doing girlie stuff, especially dealing with the drama. I guess my only 2 indulgences would be pedicure and massages.
- Very practical (or a tightwad, either one works!) – I hate paying full price. If it’s not on sale, I don’t buy it!
- Love to laugh – it’s really easy to make me cry, but it takes no effort to make me laugh!
- A very blessed and contented wife and mommy!
Currently works at the First Republic Bank in San Francisco, California as Oracle Application Engineer and Project Manager (aka Jill of all trades, mistress of none). Previously worked at the California Bank & Trust as IT Field Engineer (aka IT Slave). Also worked at Wells Fargo Bank as a bank officer, agent, teller, file clerk (sales in short).
Here’s my brief interview with Ate Famela during an early dinner at the Fuzio Universal Bistro in San Francisco City’s Embarcadero Center.
Ate Famela & Niño at the Fuzio Universal Bistro in Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, California. September 24, 2011.
Niño: Ate Fam, how long have you been staying/working here in the San Francisco Bay Area?
Famela: I’ve been in the San Francisco Bay Area since I migrated to the United States back in 1994. I work as an IT Engineer/Project Manager for First Republic Bank, a local bank here in San Francisco. I’ll be celebrating my 10-year anniversary with the company in June.
Niño: Since then, how does life treat you so far?
Famela: Life has been one bumpy, yet awesome ride so far. I’ve had my moments, filled with challenges and rewards; all of them molded me to the person I am today.
Niño: Which college/university here did you enroll in, and what course did you complete there?
Famela: I graduated with a BS in Business, concentration in Finance from San Francisco State University.
Niño: Was that the same college course you were eyeing when you were in high school or was there a significant shift in your choice?
Famela: There was definitely a significant change in my choice, a number of them. In high school, I wanted to finish Architecture. I was accepted in the two schools that I applied for – UP Diliman and Mapua. However, I decided to stay in the US permanently. I started my first year of college with Architecture as my major. After two semesters of dragging around huge cases of drafting/drawing tools and paper tablets taller than me, I realized it’s not what I really wanted. I decided to change my major to Biology and eventually go to med school. Unfortunately, I’ve had to support myself through school. For reasons that I will not share here and save for my letter to Tita Charo at Maalaala Mo Kaya, I moved out of my parents’ house when I was 19. Between working two jobs to make ends meet and going to school full time, my grades started to suffer. I didn’t think they were good enough to get to the school that I wanted. I decided to take the easy way out and take Business. I do regret some of these decisions now; however, life is what we make it. At the time when I made these decisions, they made perfect sense. I’m thinking now, Dr. Famela Oliva has a better ring to it than “corporate-IT-slave”.
Niño: Belonging to the 1st Batch/Class of 1994, kindly share to us the high school life you and your batchmates experienced in the 1990s. For the benefit of the younger batches, what’s so memorable or so interesting during those years?
Famela: High school was very challenging. There were plenty of sleepless nights finishing papers, projects and other homework. If I knew then what I know now, I probably would have taken it easier on myself and stopped to smell the roses. Don’t get me wrong, I did have some fun. I just think I would have enjoyed high school better if I loosened up and didn’t put too much pressure on myself. There was always a fear of failure. What I didn’t know is failure teaches us very valuable lessons and only makes us stronger. Finding the right balance of fulfilling your responsibility and enjoying your youth is key.
Niño: Fear of failure… hmmmh… I haven’t given much thought about it until you said it. Methinks now that is deep, and that it also serves as a key reminder to current students who are probably undergoing a similar pressure under a Parscian educational environment. Anyway, there are only 18 students in your batch and it’s been two decades when you first entered the gate of ParSci in 1990. Where has your batch been all these years? Do you manage to touch base with each other often?
Famela: That is the beauty of social networking. I’ve been able to keep in touch with majority of my batchmates through Facebook. I am up to date with what’s going on with their lives, even though I don’t talk to them. Of course, it’s not as rewarding and enjoyable as hanging out with everyone. It was great when I went back home in 2005 and see everyone after over 10 years. There are a number of us who are out of the country, including myself. Majority of us have settled down and have been blessed with families.
Niño: How’s your family, by the way? How would you describe being married and having children?
Ate Famela with husband and son, i.e. Tracy and Preston.
Famela: I’ve been blessed with a wonderful family. My husband and I celebrated our 11-year anniversary last August. I have two boys: Preston – who is 5 and in Kindergarten, and Cooper – 13 months old. My husband and I are debating on having a third child, perhaps a girl. However, my younger son has been such a handful. He reminds me daily that two children are enough.
Niño: In such debate, I will probably side with your husband. Hahaha! Go add one more! 🙂 Meanwhile, any high school batches must be filled with dreams. Looking back 16 to 20 years ago when you were a teenager dreaming of something or so many things, how would you rank yourself now on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of reaching one or more of your teenage dreams? Please explain.
Famela: I definitely will give it a 10 in terms of my teenage dreams of having a wonderful family. Career wise, I’d say it’s about a 5 right now. My job right now provides for the family, which I am very thankful for. However, working in a cubicle, staring at my computer for about 8-10 hours per day is certainly not what I dreamed of when I was younger. However, God-willing, I’m only about halfway through my journey. My husband and I started our own tax preparation business last year. The last year or two has been a struggle, with the baby and starting the business at the same time. Add to that the economic struggle that US is experiencing at the moment. We are hoping that the coming year will be better for us. We hope the business will soon earn enough for me to just work part-time and stay at home to enjoy my children. Like what I’ve mentioned earlier, life is what you make it. Everything happens for a reason. I am thankful for all the blessings that make life worth living, and all the challenges that keep me fighting.
Niño: And I am thankful for the time you allotted to meet me. It’s been a very long while since we last met… perhaps it’s been more or less 18 years, right? Ate Fam, thank you for the pizza treat. It’s my second time here at Embarcadero – the first was I guess 9 years ago – and I so like this place for a walk. As last few words on parting, share your favorite quotations please….
Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, California
Famela: “I thought about it, and I still said yes.” – On my husband’s wedding proposal.
Niño: [Smiling] 🙂
Famela: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow’s a mystery, today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”
– End –
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