Hawaii Hispanic
History
In 1794, Francisco
Marin -- a Spaniard
-- became the first
Hispanic resident of
Hawaii.  
Francisco Marin
planted the first
pineapple in the
kingdom of Hawaii
on January 2, 1813.
Hawaii Hispanic
Community
Statistics:
100% Latino -owned & -operated
Median Income          
                    $67,000

Own home:        45%

Own 1 or more
vehicles:            92%

Commute to work:    
                          82%
Local News
Latino coordinated Hawaii state boards and commissions recruitment

    HONOLULU, Hawaii – Daniel Alberdeston lived in various parts of the world prior to settling down in Honolulu. Until the end of June, he
    worked in the Governor’s Office of Boards and Commissions.
    Alberdeston was born in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, while his father was stationed there in the Army. Both his parents were born in
    Santurce, Puerto Rico. Two years after he was born, his family moved to Alabama. A few years later, they returned to Puerto Rico. Before
    his parents divorced, he spent about seven years of his childhood, including his high school years, in Puerto Rico. The rest of the time
    he spent on military bases in Germany, Alabama, Kentucky, etc.
    His college-educated mother always worked and, when they lived in Puerto Rico, she worked for the Border Patrol. He graduated from
    high school and attended Adelphi University on Long Island for a year, but struggled to make ends meet on his own as a college
    student, so he moved back to Puerto Rico to live with his mom. There he attended the Inter American University of Puerto Rico - San
    German.
    Then in 1991 his mother got a diplomatic posting to work in the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, as the Administrative Officer for U.S.
    Immigration. So Alberdeston, his sisters and his mother lived four years in Mexico City as diplomatic personnel and families. At the end
    of that tour, his mother was transferred from Mexico City Embassy to Washington, D.C., where she retired three years later.    
    In 1994, Alberdeston joined the Marine Corps, but an accident cut his military paralegal service short. During a rappelling training
    exercise, he fell from a 40-ft tower and the resulting head injury caused him to be in a coma for a week. After recovering, he was placed
    back on active service. He started having seizures, however, which Marine Corps physicians attributed to his head injury. So after having
    served about 18 months, they gave him an honorable discharge.
    Alberdeston said: “I became a veteran at a very young age, so using my
    veteran’s benefits I completed my bachelor’s in International Relations and
    master’s in Peace and Conflict Resolution (cum laude) at the American
    University in Washington, D.C. Upon graduating, however, I tried to find work
    but the job market wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. I got pretty
    frustrated.”  
    He continued: “Since I couldn’t find work, I decided to take a year off and
    travel on my own. I went to Europe. I went to Mexico and I made my way here
    because a year before I graduated, I had been here and really liked it. Hawaii
    reminded me a lot of Puerto Rico. So I got here in December 2004 and have
    been here ever since.”
    One of Alberdeston’s most notable qualities is his propensity to volunteer.
    When he first arrived in Hawaii, he lived on the North Shore. While there, he
    taught seventh- and eighth-grade English for a year, as a volunteer, at
    Sunset Beach Christian School in Haleiwa. He also volunteered from ’06 to ’
    07 as a night shift board operator and campaign assistant at Hawaii Public
    Radio. Currently, he volunteers a couple of days a week as a
    criminal/misdemeanor probation assistant with the State Judiciary.
    He also started volunteering in the Governor’s Office of Boards and Commissions in 2006. Based on the quality of his work, he was
    offered a part-time position helping coordinate the recruitment, background investigations and appointment of individuals applying for
    state boards and commissions. Two months ago, in his spare time, he translated the recommended H1D1 procedures from English to
    Spanish and his translation was used by the Dept of Health is their statewide advisory. Now, due to the state budget cuts, he was just
    laid off.
    How was his experience working in that office? He is still a strong supporter of the program. He said: “My experience there was
    excellent. The crew I worked Eric, Justin and Mark are great people to work with. There are approximately 180 boards and commission
    in the state and they are always looking for volunteers. The application process is on-going. Many board and commissions have
    members whose terms end June 30, so there are quite a few vacancies. I highly recommend that members of the Hispanic community
    serve on a board or commission.”  
    What were the most frequently asked questions he received from individuals inquiring about serving on a board or commission? He
    said: “They usually ask if there are any positions available, what the appointment process is, how long they can serve, etc. Some
    applicants are referred by members that are serving currently. The process is pretty convenient. A lot the basic information and the
    application are available online at: http://hawaii.gov/gov/team/boardscommissions. But, I would also encourage anyone that has
    questions to call 586-0026.”
    Alberdeston is not sure what position he will take on next, but, based on the work he’s done so far, we know it will another adventure for
    this multi-faceted, multi-talented young man.      
1994-2012 (c) copyright all rights reserved