That little girl is me.
Growing up, she was one of two Chinese in the entire school, the other being her brother. She knows what it feels like to be different. A sense of inadequacy was further solidified when her father gave her a piece of advice, "You are not born as smart as your siblings. You will always need to work twice as hard as others." She accepted it as a fact throughout life. If she knew others were studying two hours for an exam, she would spend four.
During her early teenage years, she cared for her younger siblings while her mother made sporadic trips back to Hong Kong to be with their father. Being left alone in a big house juggling carpool schedules, chores, and organizing playdates, she learned to be quick, coming up with a myriad of creative explanations as to why her parents weren’t there. She attended Parent-Teacher Conferences and even participated in a Career Day just to ensure her little sister could feel as normal as possible. As nervous and incompetent as she felt, she talked about architecture with such passion and knowledge, years before she even completed architecture school.
Knowing full well she was not as smart; she relied heavily on her creativity and hard work. She successfully graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with honors and dual degrees and became a Chief Representative of an international interior design firm at 29. She eventually headed up a business unit at a Fortune 500 real estate company, expanding the department from a single unit to four divisions. She went from a mere supporting unit to becoming the second-highest revenue-generating in her vertical in North Asia. She ultimately left to go back to her first love, design and was welcomed back as a boomerang to a well-known international design and build house where she was given the time to hone her skills as a leader and a design expert.
Ultimately her career choices were to provide the best life for her son as a single parent. After her son left the nest, she was presented with an opportunity to build a brand from scratch in China. The company became known for its design capability in mere two years. Along the way, while focusing only on her son and career, she thought little of her personal life. But as life would have it, the universe decided to put two people of complete opposite personalities on the same path. She met the funniest and charming man who accepted her with all her defects and became the best stepfather to her son.
This little girl is me. My advice to all the other little girls is never to underestimate what you are made of; the future is not defined by anything but you.
Why am I telling you this? Because 70% of girls feel more confident about their future after hearing from women role models. Thanks to this campaign by Inspiring Girls International and Miriam Gonzalez Durantez.
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