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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | MARCH 2018 7 By Dick Roppé, Resident Have you planted a family tree? Are you interested in your ancestors? Have you submitted your DNA for testing? I've been involved in genealogy for years and have been asked to set up an exploratory meeting here at SDV. We've scheduled the Arts and Crafts Room for 1pm on Monday, March 19. This meeting is for all levels, from beginners to those who have an abundance of experience and are willing to share. So we can plan for seating, and if you are interested, please sign up in the activities book at the front desk. EXPLORING GENEALOGY By Berkie Harris, Resident A real "go-getter" is the term I would use to describe Irma Rabago. She has only been with our Lodge management team since last fall when she was hired as the Front Desk Administrator. Soon after, the Facility Coordinator position opened up and Irma stepped right in. She loves the job, she says, and her goal is to make our grounds and facilities work like a "well-oiled machine." This will involve a lot of oversight of vendors and follow up. It will not only make her job easier; it will save time and money for our HOA. Working for our HOA is Irma's first job in community management so I thought this was this was a pretty phenomenal accomplishment. Was it just her infectious smile, outgoing personality and bilingual English/Spanish skills or was there more to be seen? Actually, Irma has been working hard for a long time. When her kids were in elementary school she was President of the PTA and Business Manager of the local Pop Warner Youth Football Team. She is a certified optician and a gymnastics coach. She worked many jobs in sales and customer service where her mission was to make people happy. Prior to coming to work for us she was with Solar City. Aside from work, family is the other important thing in Irma's life. She originally came to the US from Mexico with her parents when she was only four years old. They settled in Campo, CA and then moved to El Cajon when she was 13. She is a graduate of Granite Hills High School in El Cajon and earned her US citizenship in 2009 when she was 28 years old. Irma and her husband Tito met in the 8th grade. Good friends throughout high school, they started dating after graduation and were married in 2002. They live in Murrieta. Their son Julian is 15 and has been playing football since he was five. He is the thoughtful, grounded one Irma says. He already knows that after graduation from Murrieta Valley High School he wants to go to college and then join the Navy as an officer. Daughter Ana is 12, free spirited and artistic. She attends Thompson Middle School and is a dancer and gymnast on the Junior Acro Tumbling Team. All of this keeps Irma pretty busy, especially since she is working on completing certifications in community management from Associa's online university. When there is time she and the family visit relatives in Mexico, watch movies together and dance in the kitchen to all kinds of music. (Yes, they have a pretty big kitchen.) I could tell that joy was important to Irma and well, what better way is there to express it than dancing in the kitchen. Makes perfect sense to me. Carry on Irma! Introducing Irma Rabago

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