Fifty-six years ago, in Saigon, Vietnam, I was born into the throws of poverty and oppression. We were forced to flee my homeland. Our country was falling, and my family needed to survive. At only eight years old, a Fort Indiantown Gap refugee camp in Pennsylvania became my new home for eighteen months. Eventually, we were sponsored by the Mennonite Church and put down roots in New Holland, PA. I learned the language and assimilated into the American culture, never forgetting my Vietnamese heritage. However, it was America who saved me. And as the years went on and I matured, that truth never left me. This is why, at the age of eighteen, in defiance of my family and deference to our nation, I enlisted in the United States Navy. By twenty-one, I was married and, in short order, had two beautiful daughters. Twenty years of Naval service blessed me with a prodigious amount of travel. Retirement came fast, and 2005 I was off to a new adventure. I made the windy city my home for the next five years, managing a catering business and restaurant in downtown Chicago. Moving west in 2013, the Gold Coast called—specifically, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  As an Immigration Officer, I deeply connected with the people I served. With travels never ceasing, I headed back east in 2015 to continue my career as an Adjudicator for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Virginia. Finally, after ten years with DHS, I retired. Again. The totality of my life could be summed up with one word- tumultuous. 

 

Nevertheless, winning Squid Game – The Challenge in 2023 became my ultimate victory. Out of 456 people, this once shy, scared, and nearly defeated Vietnamese girl became a force to be reckoned with. Who would have thought life’s trajectory would put me here today? Actually…me! I have been navigating slings and arrows all my life, and those indelible circumstances have made me the woman I am today. Finally, I get to exhale. My free time can now be filled with true passions. Helping one person at a time through sponsorship with Unbound, saving one animal at a time, supporting The Humane Society of the United States, and cultivating environmental stewardship by contributing to Conservation International. This is my focus now. Aligning multiple passions to a single goal: Improving the welfare of people and our planet.