I put together a short profile, so you can get to know me better! More questions?
I love sketching new ideas as much as diving into code terminals. This has developed into an ability that connects a designer’s eye to an engineer’s language and uniquely positioned me to lead multi-disciplinary teams. Through different roles and organizations, I’ve navigated both large and small teams through high-level strategies, while staying grounded and focused on developing key technology, hitting organizational KPIs, and bringing products to global markets.
Hard work has always been one of my core values, especially coming from an immigrant family. Since I was a kid, my father always said, “work hard; work smart.” But in recent years, I’ve taken after my mother’s advice to “be a kind-er person”. She’s always listening, taking the time and patience to be empathetic with others.
As a kid, I remember seeing her watch Jay Leno on TV and thinking that it was weird for my mom to watch Late Night TV. It was only when I was older I learned that my mom watched Leno to pick up on some American slang and culture to better communicate with her kids. *cue the tears* 😭
In both life and business, I’ve learned that we never know what other people or companies are really going through. Simply taking the time to lend an ear, listen, and be open-minded lets you get closer to how to really bring value and help others.
Shit happens - in life and in business. Throughout my career, lots of crazy things have happened (let me know if you want to hear some stories!). And when they do, I’ve learned that you’ve got to just keep swimming.
When things come up, we need to give ourselves time to be human - to react, to be emotional, and to process the moment. But it’s also important to balance that with keeping our cool and collecting ourselves to get through them.
You can read all the Medium posts you want - trust me, I’ve read them too - but you’ll never know what it feels like to go all-in on a venture until you’ve done it. For the past three years, I built my own company, conducted business in multiple languages, and managed a network of vendors, agencies, and investors.
What did all of this teach me? That I have a horrible caffeine addiction ☕
But seriously, this experience taught me how to be empathetic towards all levels of a company. It showed me that doing anything well requires you to manage up, down, and across organizations. As I look for a new challenge, I’m also hoping that I can bring value to all sides of a company and be the bridge to build great things.
I remember writing down “NBA player” in every single elementary school career day worksheet. The thing is..my BMI was probably higher than the calorie count of a Big Mac. Reality finally kicked in during team tryouts my freshman year of high school, when I was laying on the court after a few running drills 🤣
But even to this day, I still believe that “sports is the best analogy to life” (RIP Kobe Bryant 🙏). Since the day my NBA dreams were crushed, I’ve watched superstars take the game-winning shots but I’ve also learned that they don’t always make the best teammates. I believe that the best teammates are the ones who understand and showcase the talents of each player. They’re able to lead and facilitate the ball so each player can shine.
That’s how I play ball. And that’s how I build product. And plus, there is already one Jeremy Lin.
Since I was a teenager, I loved going to magic shows in Vegas and the Magic Castle. Even though I still can’t tell you which card you picked, I did learn how to make balloon animals 🎈
But if you have a balloon phobia...you might want to check out this article first 😉
