Who You Are Matters

Describe where you come from

I am from freshly brewed Vietnamese iced coffee every morning, biking around my neighborhood with my cousins in the summertime, watering the fruits in our backyard garden beside my grandma as her little assistant, and annual road trips to Snoqualmie Falls — a view I will never get tired of seeing. 

Tell me where you're going

When I was little, my family took trips to a local pier to catch crabs almost every day in the summer. As you walk along it, you can see the skyline of Downtown Seattle stretched across on the other side of the bay. 

One day, as the sun turned a shade of orange and we dropped our crab cages on the shore, I remember looking out at the skyline and wondering how cool it would be to work at one of the skyscrapers and live just a body of water away from my favorite spot in the city. 

Tell me how you plan to get there

Almost there! In fact, a few days ago, I accepted a full-time offer from my dream company working in my dream role in one of those buildings. 

How are you LIKE your parents

I feel like I'm a good mix of both. 

My dad leans more on the quieter side. He doesn't speak his mind much, but when he does, it's for a reason. He also forgets things easily (a habit I unfortunately got from him). 

My mom, on the other hand, is very hardworking. She is always on time, and if she makes a promise to someone, she would go to any and all lengths just to make sure it gets fulfilled because she doesn't want to let them down. 

How are you UNLIKE your parents

I wish I was as patient as my dad. I remember one time, while my sister and I ran errands, my poor dad waited for us in the car for two hours and never complained. 

Although I consider myself a tidy person, my mom likes to clean. Like a lot. There isn't a day that goes by when she doesn't vacuum the carpets, wipe the counters, or take out the trash. 

Have you developed your own expectations for yourself, or if you were honest, would you say you're operating under someone else's expectations?

My parents were really never the type to be strict. 

They weren't like the typical tiger Asian parents who pushed their kids to excel in academics at any and all costs. My mom always told my sister and me to do whatever we liked, as long as we were conscious of our actions. I think this was partly because she lacked that freedom when she grew up in Vietnam.

Although they never pushed us, my sister and I always had high expectations for ourselves not only because we knew what we were capable of, but also because we wanted to give our parents the life they deserved after everything they've done for us. 

Who, other than a relative, serves as a model for you of someone who lives life with great passion and personal responsibility?

Suni Lee! Not only is she a great gymnast, but she also is so, so resilient. She fought through two rare kidney diseases a year before competing and was still able to win Gold at the Paris Olympics, and I find that so inspiring. 

Connecting with the ANIMAL WORLD: What wild animal do you feel a special connection with, and why?

Probably a husky. When my little brother was 3 years old, I bought him a husky stuffed animal as a Christmas present. He named it "Husky". Even now at 8 years old, he carries him everywhere and calls him his best friend. So whenever I see a husky, it always reminds me of my brother and how much Husky means to him. 

P.S. This is my brother at the airport a few weeks ago. He insisted on bringing Husky in his backpack so that he could also experience the airplane ride. 

Connecting with the NATURE KINGDOMS: Describe a significant childhood encounter with a tree or plant.

In my yard, we have two big cherry trees. 

One summer day when I was a kid, my cousins and I climbed up the trees and pretended they were treehouses. I climbed up a little bit too high on one of them, and when I sat on a big branch, it snapped in half and I fell to the ground. My cousins and I were so afraid of my parents finding out that while I was still recovering from the fall, they all carried the big branch and hid it down the street. 

To this day, my parents never questioned why that tree looked a bit more odd than the other one. 

Birth Chart

Sun Pisces

Moon Gemini

Rising Taurus