MEMORIES

Ada Jin Amy Lee

Sunnyvale, California

Age: 29

Manchurian-Chinese

Sponsors: Ada's Friends

IG: @adajjy

List three personality traits: Hardworking, Strategic thinking, and Highly committed

Life motto:

Suffer now, and live the rest of your life as a champion.

Last book you read:

A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine

What is your current school or occupation: Data Engineer at Meta (formerly Facebook)

What hobby or passion that defines you as a person and can be traced back to your childhood?

I began skiing and scuba diving at a young age. I have dived in more than 10 countries and spent half the year skiing in Truckee. Being Manchurian, I love challenges and adventures. Scuba diving and skiing are completely different, but they taught me the greatness of nature and how tiny we are as human beings.

What is your favorite aspect of your culture?

I appreciate the Chinese attitude towards eating well, since food is a basic need for one’s health and life. Not just that, we have various cuisines from every region and we care about the display, the sophisticated layered taste, and freshness.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I will be the CEO of a consumer marketplace company. I've had this idea for a while and am attending Y Combinator's startup school to learn about founding a company. I used to be a sales manager and now an engineer, all in the tech industry. With both technical and soft skills I believe I can run a very successful company.

San Francisco, California

Age: 30 Chinese Sponsor: Lion’s Den

IG: @amy.l.xy

IG: @_dearcommunity

List three personality traits: Resilient, Observant, and Lighthearted

Life motto:

If I don't regret it, it's not spicy enough.

Last book you read:

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

What is your current school or occupation: Executive director for the nonprofit organization Dear Community

What hobby or passion that defines you as a person and can be traced back to your childhood?

A passion that I can trace back to my childhood that still defines me now is talking back to my parents. I was a sarcastic and defiant child and I think that characteristic in me resurfaced when I felt like my community was under attack during the pandemic. Talking back also helped me maintain my Chinese language so yay.

What is your favorite aspect of your culture?

My favorite aspect of my culture is how family oriented we are. I love that we are raised to be respectful to our elders and adhere to traditions. And I love seeing the new faces (babies!) at every family gathering.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I see myself surrounded by a new community in Chinatown, San Francisco. I would still be operating my nonprofit Dear Community and hope to station at an office space in Chinatown. My dream would be to see the younger generation start businesses, live, and plant new roots in Chinatown.