Involvement

Filipino American History Month Feature Story

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Eliza Zoffada, Human Resources

From left to right: Eliza's daughter Jennifer, mother Dorothy, Eliza, daughter Kelly

When we think about the history of people, it’s really the culmination of people’s stories and memories. In this spirit, and in celebration of Filipino American History Month this October, we’re excited to tell the family story of Filipino American employee, Eliza Zoffada. Eliza is an HR project manager who coordinates employee activities and community involvement efforts for Bio-Rad.

Eliza’s family immigrated from the Philippines to the United States in the 1960s, but the story really begins much earlier than that. In the early 1940s during World War II, Eliza’s grandmother Exequiela Z. Deveas (Elsa for short) met a US Navy sailor named Robert Jones who was stationed in the Philippines. The two quickly fell in love and began living together.

Robert Jones, US Navy Chief Radio Operator

Just prior to the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, which began 10 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Robert was deployed to Australia. Before leaving, he provided paperwork and other information about himself for Elsa, who was pregnant. Elsa went on to have a baby girl in June of 1942, and while she wondered about what had happened to Robert, she raised the baby on her own. The baby was Eliza’s mother, Dorothy.

Eliza says her grandmother’s decision to carry on and raise Dorothy the way she did was just part of their family makeup. “My grandmother had several sisters, and they were all very strong women,” Eliza says. Elsa made a nice life for herself and Dorothy, and they carried on never knowing what happened to Robert.

Life in the United States

One of Elsa’s sisters Dolores eventually immigrated to the United States, and she encouraged Elsa to come to the United States as well. “She was so happy because during the boat ride she got to see Hong Kong and Japan,” Dorothy says. When Elsa traveled to the US by herself in 1961, Dorothy says it was the first time they had been apart. “That was our first separation,” says Dorothy, who had gotten married by that time.

Elsa and Dorothy

Elsa married soon after arriving in the United States, and while they made ends meet, it wasn’t the same. “You have this beautiful life in the Philippines and you think that you'll have this better life in the United States, but it really isn't — except for the generations to come,” says Eliza. “That's a big part of my gratitude and my attitude towards life; I'm just so grateful.” Dorothy also eventually immigrated to the US in 1965 and Eliza was born five years later.

Like many Filipino families, Eliza grew up being part of a lot of large family gatherings filled with Filipino food and lots of love. She says this is where her passion for event planning came from. “I just love bringing people together,” she says.

Discovering New Family

Because she had never met her father, Dorothy always wondered what had happened to him. To track her family history, Dorothy decided to try Ancestry.com about five years ago. “My mom didn’t really know that he lived or anything about what had happened to him, so when Ancestry.com brought two people to the top of the list, she thought they were her first cousins.

“But then she realized that she has two sisters,” Eliza says of her mom’s two half-sisters, who both live in California. While Dorothy’s father had already passed away, Eliza says her mom was eternally grateful to learn that he had gone on to have two more children who lived in the same state. “She met them and now they are a huge part of our family!”

Filipino American History Month is one of many cultural events we celebrate at Bio-Rad. To see our monthly calendar, click here.

Celebrating National Mentoring Month

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Bio-Rad is proud to join other companies, schools, and nonprofits across the U.S. in celebrating National Mentoring Month this January. Every year since 2002, U.S. Presidents and Congress have endorsed the campaign by officially designating January as National Mentoring Month.

We believe mentoring is incredibly beneficial for both mentors and mentees, providing avenues for growth, learning, and improved interpersonal skills. Bio-Rad has a growing mentorship program that explores career development, develops emerging leaders, and promotes diversity and inclusion. With a collaborative team that stretches across the globe, mentorships at Bio-Rad offer unique opportunities for employees to expand their knowledge and perspectives.

Bio-Rad currently has mentorship programs in six business units, including Regulatory Affairs, Life Science, Clinical Diagnostics, Global Human Resources, Global Information Technology, and Global Commercial Operations in Asia-Pacific. We are in the process of adding more business units in 2023. In addition, Bio-Rad provides opportunities for employees to mentor youth in our local communities through our Diversity & Inclusion Program.

We are excited to grow these programs in 2023, and we invite you to come grow with us!

Looking to join a supportive team? View our open roles.

Celebrating National Mentoring Month (duplicate)

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 20:45:51 +0000

We are excited to grow these programs in 2023, and we invite you to come grow with us!

Looking to join a supportive team? View our open roles.