I had to pinch myself to make sure it was real when Chief notified my membership acceptance. Chief is a private network built to drive more women into positions of power and keep them there. Chief is the only organization specifically designed for senior women leaders to strengthen their leadership journey, cross-pollinate ideas across industries, and affect change from the top down.
Upon becoming the Chief member on Jan 1st, 2022, I reached out to my networks, also members of Chief. One of the former colleagues reminded me that what makes me unique is not the experience or achievements at various promising start-ups. Instead, the journey that shaped who I am today makes my story unique
Looking back to years ago, when I bought a one-way ticket and landed in JFK with two suitcases, I told myself that there's only one direction, moving forward because there's no way back.
When I was born, my father passed away. As a result, my poor mom raised me alone. She worked long hours at factories to support my grandma and me.
My mother did not realize that she had raised a crazy daughter. I had told her many times that I was going to the United States one day when I was 16. Going to the United States was a big deal for a family like ours.
She would never be able to support me financially. So I knew I had the only tool - education. But, frankly, academics was never my focus until age 14, when I realized I would end up working at factories like my mom if I did not focus on school. Ever since then, my grade had become top in the class. Because of that, I was able to pass the entrance exams and go to the top public high school and college in Taiwan.
Education opened the door for me to a start-up company in Taiwan
I had no idea of the meaning of a start-up or what was ahead of me. After one year, the company told me that I could purchase certain shares at a meager cost. Who knew that when the company went public after two years, I’d have the money for the expensive tuition at NYU. I could already taste the air in NYC. My mom tried to detour my dream, but she knew that I would not obey because I made decisions for my future and destiny.
Life in NYC was not pretty and glamorous like in the show Sex and the City. My mom did not know that I had only money for tuition. I'd have to pick up cash jobs to pay for everything else. I had the cheapest meals and rented the most inexpensive room to preserve cash flow. After all, I was fortunate to get a job right before I graduated, earned a master's degree from NYU, and before the mortgage crisis in 2008 that resulted in a recession for a few years in the united states. And that first job paved my career path in NYC.
I have come so far and have come a long way, but I will never forget where I came from because it built grit and resilience. My roots shaped me into who I am today, and I can never be prouder of where I came from and would never change a bit of it.
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