Guam

FHS Oral History Project – Christine Malamanig Berk

Christine Malamanig Berk was born in Tamuning, Guam, in 1973. Christine briefly recollected fond memories of her early upbringing on the island before her family moved to California when she turned five years old. Christine cited familial trends and improved opportunities in the contiguous United States as reasons they left Guam. She recounted the cultural shock she experienced once she settled in California, and the various ways in which her family maintained her Guamanian and Filipino (her father’s side) heritage while living in California during this time. Christine attended California State University in Fresno, double majoring in Journalism and English. During college, she joined several organizations that connected her with other Asian communities. Christine emphasized how these experiences functioned as a “multicultural awakening” to embrace culture and promote diversity and inclusion, objectives she continued to pursue throughout her adult life. In 2008, after years working as a journalist in Sacramento and Kansas City, Christine moved to Florida to attend Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville. She explained how the law school’s welcoming and multicultural environment motivated her to attend that institution specifically. Christine recounted her career as a lawyer, specifically how she has navigated the profession as an Asian American woman. In 2011, after completing law school, Christine moved to Orlando, immediately seeking communal and professional connections. As a result, she joined the Greater Orlando Asian American Bar Association (GOAABA) and served as its president circa 2014. Additionally, around this time, she joined the Asian American Chamber of Commerce, where she currently serves as president (as of 2025). In her discussion of both organizations, Christine outlined the organizations' missions, their significance to the Asian American community in Orlando, and what she has maintained and implemented while serving in various prominent positions, not only as president. Lastly, Christine shared her broader observations on the growing Asian community in Florida, the state’s larger changes since 2008, and the challenges it faces in the contemporary moment (2025).

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