Growing up in San Francisco, I was fortunate to experience the city's rich diversity. As a Vietnamese immigrant who arrived at the age of 14.5 with no knowledge of the English language, I didn't think I had accomplished much. However, looking back, I realize that little girl was resilience and determine.
By the age of 17, within 2.5 years of living in this American dream country and achieved the following with my broken English:
1. Won Miss Congeniality at the Little Saigon Princess Pageant, an honor that required me to attend numerous public events to serve the Vietnamese community.
2. Nominated as the most impactful youth in District 5 in San Francisco and featured on Channel 9 and also on a tiny section on the Examiner Newspaper.
3. Work on a project to educating Juvenile Hall kids to understood American laws and could protect their rights.
4. Started the Vietnamese In Power (V.I.P) movement, where we stood up for the Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities' rights by protesting at City Hall against their deportation.
Imagine going all these public events and made appearances with my broken English..(still remembered those chattering teeth smiles)
Attending the Leaders in AI Summit in SF this week and walking pass this park where my first summer Job was brought back all the feels, and I can definitely say The City raised me 🏙
❤