As a member of the organization, Wong held candidate forums and encouraged voter registration. He later became president.

His dream to give back to the community and make a difference was finally realized.

Now Wong, 36, wears many hats in the community.

He has served on the planning commission for almost two years. He co-chairs the Asian American Business Council of the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce. He is also a board member of the Lunar New Year Unity Parade.

Recently, his civic volunteerism received county-level recognition when Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss awarded him and nine others the Asian American Heroes Award for their strong commitment to grass-roots organizations.

This is an award Wong well deserved but didn't expect.

Wong didn't have a clear Asian American identity when he was young.

His parents immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong in 1956. Born and raised in East San Jose, Wong was the only Asian American student in his school.

"Fifty percent of my classmates were Caucasian and another 50 percent were Hispanic. A friend asked me how I felt, I told him I felt like an American," Wong said.

Wong didn't know much about Chinese-American history until he attended San José State University, where he majored in business administration and minored in political science and Asian studies.

"At San José State, I met a lot of overseas Chinese from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. I felt I could identify with them because I am an overseas Chinese, too," Wong said.

In his early 20s, Wong made a point of making friends from foreign countries, and the friendships have taken him to Thailand, Japan, Korea and Turkey and dozens of other countries. "The traveling gave me a better appreciation of world culture," Wong said. He is fluent in Spanish and Cantonese.

Wong's openness to different cultures and upbringing as a Chinese-American have made him a perfect liaison between Cupertino's Caucasian community and Asian American community.

When a racial flap ensued in 2001 over the selection of students for Cupertino's first teen commission, city Councilman Richard Lowenthal approached Wong and a group of Chinese-American residents, eager to know how to bridge the gap between the Chinese and Caucasian communities.

"The first thing Gilbert told me was that I used 'us' and 'them' too much," Lowenthal said. "He said it was not about us versus them or the Chinese versus the Caucasians. And I have been very careful about my word usage since."

Wong's contribution to Cupertino is not limited to his immersion in both eastern and western cultures. He is recognized for his knowledge in land use and hard work as a planning commissioner.

"My family has been in real estate investment and property management business, so it was natural for me to apply for the planning commission," said Wong, who took over his father's business after graduating from university.

Although always smiling and polite, Wong never hesitates to ask tough questions or make unpopular decisions. A meticulous person, he reads his planning package carefully before each meeting and often makes site visits to better understand the issues.

Wong said he is proud to serve the community and encourages other people to follow suit.