About Me

I was born in Vietnam post the Fall of Saigon. My parents risked their lives fled the only home they ever knew to seek refuge and find new opportunities anywhere they could... They left with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a baby in their arms - me.

Not a day goes by that I'm not grateful for the sacrifices they made and the fact that I am here today. My life's work is dedicated to not taking each breath for granted. I inherited my resilience and determination through them

I grew up in a rough part of town, Hilltop Tacoma. Two blocks from our apartment was gangland. Echoes of gunshots and sirens was so commonplace, it blended into the background like the sounds of car engines, winds blowing through branches, dogs barking, birds chirping. There was a Community Center right on the other side of the notorious 'K Street', home to the Crips. I remember being a 7 year old boy, venturing there, holding my breath, scared shitless, but determined to cross the street every day because I wanted to learn Martial Arts. It was then that I realized the lengths that my I would go through any length to feed my hunger to learn.

Sundays at the Swap Meet - it part of our weekly family routine. I loved seeing all the random stuff people where hocking in this real life marketplace. I watched in awe as my dad bartered to get the best deal. I didn't ask for much, but there was two things I begged and pleaded my dad to get me which would change my life: A shiny brass of a beautiful alto saxophone. I begged and pleaded my dad for it. I would sign myself up for band at school, and I would practice every day after school and grew a love for music.

Mesmerized by the VGA display of this monster truck game on the PC Jr. I had to have it. Again, I begged and pleaded my dad to get what would become my very first computer. I bought it home, and I was hooked. I spent hours on it, learning how to use it. MS-DOS prompts, typing in commands, and running scripts to install games. Eventually, I would upgrade to a 386 with a 2400 baud modem, and discovered the Internet through ANSI characters via various BBSes where I found my community of other computer nerds.

I was a 16 year old junior in high school. Through the MESA (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) program that I signed myself up for, I landed my very first job - an IT internship at Weyerhaeuser. For the next 6 summers through my undergraduate years, I would work in IT. I was destined to be a techie.