Email: Hoa.Quach@Patch.com

Phone: 858-634-0586

Hometown: San Diego

Birthday: May 15

Bio: Hoa Quách is a writer, do-gooder, and Patch's associate regional editor for San Diego County.

She got an early start in writing when her very Chinese parents and older sister forced her to read a new book each week and write a summary on it while other children spent their days watching "Saved by the Bell" and playing ball in the streets. Despite the indoor days of her childhood, Hoa has been able to develop social skills over time and has been fortunate to watch a few episodes of "Saved by the Bell" to catch up with her peers.

Of course, she continued her writing career. She has written for news organizations such as San Diego News Network, Voices without Votes (a 2008 Presidential Elections Project of Reuters and Global Voices Online), SignOnSanDiego.com, The Huffington Post, and Asia Media Inc. She also edits books, coaches reporters and often sits on panels relating to journalism and politics. She is working on her first book where parts of it can be found on HoaWrites.com

Hoa is an advisory board member of the Asian American Journalists Association, member of the Society of Professional Journalists Freedom of Information Committee, board member of Rolling Readers USA, founding member of College Students for New Orleans and founder of Art Relief in Balboa Park. She's also a member of the Press Club, National Association of Asian American Professionals and Soroptimist International of Poway.

When she isn't volunteering for one of her cherished non-profits or reporting for Patch, she's shopping for shoes, lucid dreaming at the cove, teaching her nieces dance moves, baking up a storm, or she's in her Bikram Yoga class sweating.

She graduated from San Diego State University where she studied journalism, Spanish and Asian Studies.

Connect with Hoa:

• on Twitter
• on Facebook
• on LinkedIn

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Beliefs: I believe compassion is the one trait every human being should have.

Politics: I grew up in a conservative household but I voted "no" on Proposition 8 because I believe if two people can find love in a world filled with so much violence and hate, then we should be nothing less than happy for those two people.

Religion: I pray in Chinese to my grandfather who passed away in 2004.