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From serving freshly cooked food at banquets, special events, festivals and other community events, the two-man crew inside the ShockWave Food Truck is, well, riding a wave of success.

APTOS — When he was in school, Brandon Gruber occasionally found himself in the role of the underdog, and occasionally the target of bullies. But he always rose above it. Gruber, now 22, is hoping he can help others do the same. He recently launched the Diamond Awards, for students who find themselves in similar situations. This can include those that are struggling to learn English or those with special needs, who may otherwise be overlooked.

Add another pair of accomplishments to Hannah Hocom’s impressive 2017-18 season. The Aptos High star junior basketball player was named an Academic All-American by the National High School Coaches Association late last month, and also earned a spot on Cal-Hi Sports’ All-State Underclassmen Third Team. A starting guard for the Mariners each of the last three seasons, Hocom was named the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League’s Most Valuable Player after leading Aptos to its first league title since the 2000-01 season. This newspaper also selected the 5-foot-9 sharpshooter as our Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

A local math teacher left for a trip to New York City, where he received a prestigious teaching award. Matt Engle, who teaches at Monterey Bay Academy, has received the 2017 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Math Teaching. Engle earned the $25,000 award for his lesson, titled “Bringing Similarity Into Light: Experiencing Similarity and Dilations Using Shadows.” The lesson examines the shadows of shapes to explore concepts such as ratio, dilation, and proportionality in triangles.

Congressman gives update to Aptos community Congressman Jimmy Panetta speaks with Pajaro Valley Unified School District board president Leslie DeRose on Aug. 14 during a luncheon presented by the Aptos Chamber of Commerce at the Best Western Seacliff Inn. Panetta, who was the guest speaker, described what he has been working on in Congress over the past year. He said many people across the country are "overwhelmed" and "confused" at the actions of the White House and Congress, stressing the importance of Republicans and Democrats working together to solve issues. "It feels like we have been governing on flurry," Panetta said. "It's time we govern on focus. You have to work with the other side to get things done." About 90 people were in attendance.

Light up that tree Santa makes the rounds Dec. 1 in Aptos at the annual tree lighting ceremony. Sheriff's deputies, firefighters, girl and boy scouts, vendors and live music added to the festivities. The event is hosted by the Aptos Chamber of Commerce.

There were several events special for the fair’s opening day. As per tradition, the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau and the Watsonville Firefighters Association hosted the Opening Day Barbecue in Paddy Smith Park. People enjoyed a lunch of tri-tip, salad and garlic bread while South Bay Swing Band performed nearby on the Amphitheater Stage.

Girl Scout Troop 10213 of Aptos recently donated more than 50 jackets to Dominican Hospital as part of their holiday charity project. The 10- and 11-year-olds collected the coats through donation drives at Mar Vista and Soquel elementary schools. The jackets will be added to the hospital’s “patient closet,” and will be provided to any patient who needs a coat when they leave the hospital.

Members of the Congregational Church of Soquel are celebrated 150 years of their majestic white steeple church in the heart of Soquel Village with an “Art and History Weekend.” Extensive displays of historic photos, some from the late 1800s, newspaper clippings, post cards and memorabilia were exhibited around the church’s campus May 19-20.

Income planning. Qualifying on a home loan is a little trickier than you might think. Let me "esplain" (I grew up watching "I Love Lucy"). Let’s say you’ve been at your job for 20 years and you’re still renting your co-worker's garage. Let’s further say that your company has been asking you to work overtime and double time and you have politely declined the offer over the past few years, hey! Not having to work so much is the benefit of living in a garage. But then the unthinkable happens. You get a serious girlfriend who refuses to be sweet on you inside of a garage. You start working all the overtime and double time and even triple time (this could be a local policeman) that you can get your hands on. This is where the sins of the past come to haunt you. The bank will only count overtime if you worked it for two years continually, it doesn’t matter that it's always been there for you. Thinking you can afford more in the moment is an easy pitfall to fall into, I can help you avoid such an embarrassment by letting you know what you actually qualify for and not what you figured you did.