Grace Chuang

During summer, on one of her family’s occasional trips to Half Moon Bay, Food Service Assistant Grace Chuang, her husband and two daughters surveyed the harbor full of boats to purchase fish. For the first time, she saw a fisherman’s sign listing “squid” and brought the last one; when they returned home, her husband cleaned, sliced and prepared sashimi. Formerly a stay-at-home mom for 15 years, Chuang cherishes the time she gets to spend with her family. 

 

In 1996, she finished her education in Taiwan and immigrated to the U.S. to pursue a master’s degree at California State University Long Beach. She moved to the Bay Area in 2000 for its abundant job opportunities, hoping to find a company that would allow her to obtain citizenship. After six years, she had her first child and quit her job at Semiconductor Design Service company to care for her family. 

 

Chuang made sure to stay active in her children’s lives at school. Two years ago while volunteering, she noticed another parent working in the food service at Cupertino Union School District, so Chuang applied for on-call jobs as a Cafeteria Assistant. After hearing of a job opening at FUHSD, she applied and was selected to start working at one of the three cashier stands in the MVHS cafeteria — a job that also includes helping clean kitchen surfaces, washing dishes, organizing and storing deliveries and restocking utensil carts.

 

When not working, Chuang balances her responsibilities at home and allocates time in her schedule to relax and watch TV shows, specifically Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese dramas. Her family also spends time hiking and sightseeing at local parks. After choosing not to work for over a decade, Chuang has a myriad of reasons for returning to work. 

 

“Money,” Chuang said. “Exercise too and to try to make friends. Being a mommy [who] stay[ed] at home, the only thing I know is [my] kids coming back [from school] and [watching the] Internet. [By working as a Food Service Assistant,] I know how the school [is] running, how to serve kids, … watch out for the kids, that's why I try to do the food service job.”