Alfred and Luisa Daluyaya’s love story spans across several decades and continents. They met during senior year in college at De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines. After attending the same school for four years together, their paths did not cross until their final semester before graduation. Alfred says Luisa made an impression on him from their first meeting. “She was pretty and looked like one of the new members of the college debate team. I introduced myself and asked her name. We had class, so we went our separate ways after our first meeting. I wondered if I would ever see her again since the college was so big, but a few weeks later, I got lucky and ran into her in the library. I asked her if I could walk with her, and she said yes. We had a great connection, so I decided to make a move and see what happens, the rest is history.” The couple were married on January 3, 2004, at the beautiful The Manila Cathedral in the Philippines.
Alfred and Luisa were both born in the Philippines, and each has a unique story about their move to the United States. Alfred was the first to move to the US, and his first stop was San Francisco. “After completing my Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, I traveled to San Francisco in 1998 with $50 to my name. While looking for work, I temporarily stayed in a small attic room of a retirement living facility owned by a relative in the East Bay. The small attic room was enough for me, and it was in a very good location to find work,” says Alfred. Soon after, Alfred got his first career break with an offer from Pacific Bell. He says he will never forget that day. “The day I got the offer was a turning point for me. As I was riding the bus home, I started crying while staring at my offer letter and looking at what was left in my wallet. I only had $20 left. I was doing the math on how much I will need for bus, BART and lunch expenses before my first paycheck. After that moment, I kept a $20 bill in my wallet as a reminder of that day I got my first break.” Alfred started his career at Pacific Bell as a Software Engineer. He moved to various technology startups and currently works at Chevron Headquarters in San Ramon. “At Chevron, I’m leading Software Engineers to create delightful products for business partners and customers.”
Once Alfred was able to settle down, he asked Luisa to join him in the United States. At that time, Luisa was studying to go to medical school after finishing two degrees in Psychology and Education. Luisa’s goal was to become a doctor, and she says it required a leap of faith to join Alfred in California. “During that time, Alfred convinced me to travel to the US and live our lives there. I decided to put my dream of med school on pause and take the leap to join Alfred.” Luisa started her career as a Registered Nurse at Alta Bates Summit in Oakland and has helped provide amazing patient care in the Medical/Surgical department. The Covid pandemic has required Luisa to become a superhero mom; Alfred says, “We moved to Blackhawk a few days before the Bay Area had it’s very first lockdown due to Covid. Our family did not expect that Luisa would be working on the front-line as a Registered Nurse during the pandemic. She was assigned as part of Sutter’s Covid unit for several months. Because of her role as a Covid Registered Nurse, and the many unknowns with the virus at that time, Luisa had limited contact with her family and slept in a separate section of our house away from the rest of us. She was very scared of putting us at risk while she was taking care of Covid patients daily.”
The couple bounced around the Bay Area living in San Leandro, Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton and then San Ramon before finally calling Blackhawk home. “We decided to move to our forever home in Blackhawk before the pandemic. We visited the Blackhawk community many times, and it was a community we looked forward to being a part of,” says Alfred. They live in Oakridge at Blackhawk.
Being from humble beginnings, Alfred and Luisa believe strongly in giving to those in need. They are involved in the Contra Costa County Food Banks and also support charity work in the Philippines. “Since we cannot travel to the Philippines due to Covid, we try our best to financially support nonprofits that help the needy. Recently, we supported the homeless and the blind organization in a small village a few hundred miles from Manila. Seeing photos where villagers appreciate small acts of kindness in getting a full meal for the day is priceless. These experiences help ground our family, appreciate our blessings and help us focus on what is truly important in life,” says Luisa.
Two sons and two cats complete the Daluyaya’s household. Sixteen-year-old Zachary is currently in high school. He played tennis at a very young age and was in many USTA open junior tennis tournaments. He was one of the Norcal top 100 USTA 14 and under tennis players. Zach also keeps himself busy with piano. Fourteen-year-old Luis is currently in middle school. He loves snowboarding during the winter and surfing during spring and summer. He also plays tennis and track. Luis enjoys coding and writing software programs as well.
Travel is a favorite pastime for the family. Before the pandemic, they traveled to Europe for the summer every year. “A lot of our Europe travels are very memorable, but our favorite travel memory so far is our Disney Cruise in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. We also loved the memories of the small towns and cobblestone streets of Prague in the Czech Republic, Cinque Terre in Italy, and Nyhavn in Denmark. The kids really enjoyed biking on the streets of Copenhagen and Tivoli Park, which has a similar feel to Disneyland. Our boys also loved the shows, activities and making new friends on the Disney cruise ship. We also go to Hawaii every year. Our family loves Kauai and Oahu,” says Luisa.
Blackhawk residents since 2020, Alfred and Luisa say they have always felt that it was an amazing, beautiful neighborhood close to Mt. Diablo and a very safe community. “We love Blackhawk and Danville because it has a little of everything: family-friendly, food, nature and entertainment. Kids love to hike and see nature at Mt. Diablo state park. Our family attends St. Isidore Church and visit Blackhawk Plaza regularly. We really feel a sense of community here.”
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By Megan Scott, Resident since 2010