Derrick was born and raised on the small island of Guam. Coming from a small island, the closest to salsa dancing Derrick has ever experienced was the "Guamanian Cha-Cha," an island version of the traditional cha-cha-cha. This form of dancing is similar to the traditional cha-cha-cha but it requires a little more dip in the hips and a carefree attitude. Derrick's previous dancing experience before salsa includes Polynesian dancing back in middle school. The first time Derrick was exposed to salsa was January of 2004. Once he started dancing salsa, he became hooked. He moved out to California to study mechanical engineering at the California Maritime Academy. About a year later, he was recruited by director JC Labio and has been dancing and performing for the Amateur Team Con-AfinKe for about 2.5 years. He is now currently an understudy for the professional team AfinKao.