Home Services Gallery Contact About Portfolio

Portfolio

In my portfolio, you will find a select few of my written and published work, with videos at the end.  My work with for-profits, non-profits, and ministries has ranged greatly. If you are looking for something specific, please let me know.

You can buy "More Than A Menu - Food and its Meaning in Asian Cultures across the U.S." on Amazon. I co-wrote and photographed this photo book highlighting Asian food cultures and the stories of resilient Asian Americans living in the United States during the COVID-19 lockdowns. 

A Soul of Its Own: OpenWater Virginia Beach

With over 30 participants in Virginia Beach, Kevin’s focus has been to get people on the water. He wants them to experience the impact of OpenWater through community and time on the water, like he has. With intentionality and warmth, OpenWater’s chapter in Virginia Beach is growing each year.

“We’ve been getting on the water more, getting reps,” Kevin explains, who leads the Virginia Beach chapter. He was a part of the class of 2024. 

Since 2024, California native and Navy Veteran Kevin ha...

A Backbone of Support from the Beginning | Erin N.

Since OpenWater’s inception, Erin has been a steady force behind the scenes. She is a creative, an encourager, and the mom who ran everything smoothly at home so big dreams could take shape on the water.

Born and raised in Huntington Beach, Erin built a career rooted in creativity and surf culture. After graduating from Long Beach State with a degree in fashion merchandising and apparel design, she spent more than a decade at Huntington Surf & Sport, eventually helping open one of the first g...

Leading With Heart | Nani Kalama

For Nani Kalama, paddling has always been more than a sport. It is a part of her culture. Her community. It is a way of life.

“I was born and raised in Hawaii,” Nani shared. “My dad is Hawaiian. My mom is from California. They met in Hawaii surfing, so I grew up with ocean anything—surfing, paddling, just being in the ocean all the time.”

“I started paddling when I was probably eight,” she said. “All my cousins paddled. It’s just what we did.”  In high school, she was a part of the junior...
Newport Aquatic Center •

A Crossing to Remember: A Father, a Daughter, and 33 Miles of Ocean

At dawn on November 11, when most of Southern California still slept, a father and daughter pushed a 2-man outrigger canoe off Catalina Island and began the 33-mile voyage towards Huntington Beach. This Veterans Day, they paddled together across the channel for OpenWater’s Veterans Day Channel Crossing, joining the crew of 46 other First Responders and Veterans paddling OC1, OC2, SUPs and prones.

Kiersten, an experienced rower at the Newport Aquatic Center (NAC), began training in an outrigger c...
The Chimes •

Voices from Talbot’s Kyiv campus

After the fall of the Soviet Union, three men identified a need for more seminaries in Ukraine to minister to the nation as well as the rest of Eastern Europe. Working alongside Biola University, they began a program with Talbot Seminary: a Master of Arts degree in Biblical and Theological Studies/Diversified in Kyiv. The seminary doors opened to students in the spring of 2007 and there are 28 students enrolled today, according to the Talbot School of Theology.

This week, as Russia launched an
The Chimes •

Valentine’s Day still applies to single people

Between red roses, pink boxes and dark chocolate, the month of February is dedicated to the holiday of love. There are a few legends of who Valentine’s Day might be named after, but the most common story is of Saint Valentine. In order to strengthen his army, Emperor Claudius II declared marriage illegal in ancient Rome, History explains. Valentine combated this injustice by continuing to perform marriage ceremonies for young couples in secret. After Claudius discovered this, the saint was behea
The College Fix •

SDSU alumni keep ‘Aztec Warrior’ alive after university canceled it

As San Diego State University works to develop new imagery to represent the campus in place of what some faculty and students contend is a “racist mascot,” a group of alumni have taken matters into their own hands to keep the “Aztec Warrior” alive.

The Aztec Warrior Foundation recently brought the fan favorite back to the stands at SDSU’s football team’s conference championship game Dec. 21, the latest move in a nearly 20-year-old battle over the controversial character.

“[The university] elim
The Chimes •

Taiwan must stand against Chinese aggression

Taiwan is feeling the birth pains of independence. Over the past few years, they have grown in their pursuit of freedom from Chinese rule. Officially, Taiwan is a Chinese territory, however, its people are ready to take the first steps toward sovereignty.

The United States has supplied special operations troops who train in Taiwan for nearly a year, The Wall Street Journal reports. Both former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden promised solidarity with the small territory re
The Chimes •

Blowing the whistle on Facebook

When I turned 13, I wanted a Facebook account because I wanted to play Farmville. I was not interested in posting selfies, updating my status or making virtual friends—I just wanted to produce my own virtual crop and animals. My mom made me complete summer school for the privilege of my first social media account.

At first, the privilege was exciting, but the glory wore off quickly as the pressures of social media arose.

Over the past few weeks, Facebook has been forced to face its ghosts. Whi
The Chimes •

The Gabby Petito case is a woman’s greatest fear

Plastered all over the news for weeks, the face of Gabby Petito was engraved in the hearts and minds of those who heard her story. After police responded to a domestic dispute between Petito and her boyfriend, the media focused on following the young woman’s missing person case. Since her body was found, authorities continued to search for her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, who remains the suspect in the ongoing investigation. Until he is found, there will be no rest and no justice.

Unfortunately,
The Chimes •

An environmental perspective on recent wildfires

Growing up with a vast love of nature and respect for God’s creation formed Biola environmental science professor Brendon Anthony into who he is today. As a Southern California native, Anthony became passionate about the ocean at a young age. Determined to pursue a career in marine biology, Anthony began working at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach during high school.

Anthony then attended Biola as an undergraduate and obtained his bachelor’s in biology before receiving his master’s in
The Chimes •

A veteran’s perspective on Afghanistan’s turmoil

Staff Sgt. Chris Matthews grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. After he graduated Cleveland Heights High School in 2004, he aspired to enlist in the Marine Corps. However, still alarmed after 9/11, his mother asked him to wait one year to be sure of his decision. He complied, but knew his mind would not change. In March 2006, Matthews joined the Marines, beginning a 13-year journey.

“As a whole, it was a great experience. It has me where I am today,” Matthews said.

He first deployed to Iraq, th
Orange Coast Magazine •

4 Historical Trails in Orange County

The Olinda Oil Museum Trail, Brea

Located deep in the hills of Brea, this trail is a walk through history. The museum nearby showcases antique oil operation tools, the original Olinda oil well, and an old field office. The 12-acre park pays tribute to the industry that helped the city establish itself. The 2-mile loop crosses bridges, climbs hills, and drops into a shady canyon, making it perfect for a relaxing stroll. Go far enough and there’s another vintage oil well. At the top, you can spot
Orange Coast Magazine •

Laguna Hills-Based She Shed Living Helps Women Create Backyard Retreats

Founded by Sabrina Contreras and Erika Kotite in 2017, She Shed Living designs and builds sheds for women—but probably not the type of shed you’re imagining. “When you go to the backyard, you’re with nature. The garden, the landscape, the sunshine … you’re in this little building made just for you, and it’s very magical,” Contreras says.

How did you and Erika start She Shed Living?

Erika had written two books about she sheds, and I had seen her at an open-air market where creative women were s
Orange Coast Magazine •

Brea Eight-Year-Old Writes Books to Help Kids in Need

To make reading and writing fun despite her learning disability, Kiara Smith of Kiwi Cares Collections began writing children’s books with the support of her mother, Katrina. The family donates all of the profits to charity.

How did Kiwi Cares Collections get started?

Katrina: Kiara was diagnosed with dyslexia in the fall of 2020. That made reading a little bit of a challenge. We read up on how dyslexia works. Even though it’s a disability in some aspects, there are also many abilities that it
Orange Coast Magazine •

Costa Mesa Resident Vanessa Yeager is the Founder of Women Who Surf and Latinx Surf Club

What made you start Women Who Surf?

I originally started the group with the intention of finding other women who surfed who are mothers. It started super small with 20 women from O.C. We’re at 10,000 women (on Facebook) now! It’s really cool to have women in the group from all ends of the globe. There are women who surf in cold places, like lakes and rivers in Germany. There’s so much diversity when it comes to surfing now. It’s like having this huge, sea sister community. It’s rad!

Surfer Bet

Videos + Podcast

From leading upbeat storytelling videos to creating and launching a podcast to discuss First Responder mental health, there are many videos I could share with you. Please reach out for more.