BEAUTIFUL DESTINATIONS

It is our pleasure to introduce a new member of our #BDTeam, @andyto! "My family always told me no matter how far I go in life, to never forget where I came from. Their story started with being rescued by the Hong Kong coast guards while escaping the Vietnam War. I was raised by my grandparents in East Oakland, California. I grew up in a rough part of town where I was exposed to violence, gangs and drugs. Although we didn’t have much, my grandparents took pride in giving back every opportunity they got. My grandfather would document their journeys back to Saigon using his camcorder, working with local orphanages. When he brought the footage back we would watch it together and this taught me the art of storytelling. When I was thirteen, my life fell apart. My grandfather passing away transitioned me into the darkest year of my life. I dropped out of high school, started hanging out with the wrong crowd and ran into problems with the law. After being offered a second chance of life by a police officer on Christmas Day, I decided to turn my life around. I enrolled myself back into school where I was introduced to film making. The camera gave me a new voice. It changed my life and allowed me to tell my story. Even through the toughest times I learned at an early age to not stress off of things that were out of my control. As long as you focus on whats right in front of you at the best of your ability, you’ll go somewhere. My name is Andy To from Oakland California, I’ve dedicated my life to spreading positivity and creating stories through film making. It is my absolute honor to announce that I’ve joined the #BDteam from the World's Coolest Job search! For more of my journey, check out @beautifuldestinations Instagram Story. Everyone has a story to tell, I would love to know more about yours! What’s have you gone through to get to where you are today?" #