Q: How did your family and culture influence who you are today?
As an Asian American, I was taught the importance of studying hard, getting good grades, going to a good school and finding a solid job to work and retire from. This was all great because it did teach me discipline and determination, which I do think are great characteristics to learn, but it also taught me to constantly work endlessly.
I now understand a critical gap in my upbringing was financial education – we never talked about finances. Financial education is important to learn so that you aren’t solely reliant on your W2 wages for income. There are ways to make money work for you, so that you aren’t working to live.
Q: Why is ACEE important to you?
Having two sons, I am constantly looking for ways to help my kids (2nd and 4th grader) understand personal finances in a way that they can relate to and understand, but I personally know how hard it is to find resources that effectively do that. I am so thankful that ACEE helps provide these resources to schools and organizations to enable and encourage financial literacy for kids, which will enable them to become more successful adults.
By empowering teachers, community volunteers, and parents, ACEE is providing essential tools for students to become productive and responsible members of society, something that aligns perfectly with my own personal beliefs and values. I fully support ACEE’s mission and am proud to be a part of a community that prioritizes financial and economic literacy for all.
Q: Why do you care about financial and economic education?
Having grown up in a family where financial struggles were a daily reality, my husband knows firsthand how difficult it can be to achieve one’s goals without financial education. Today, we are financially free and work optional because we focused on educating ourselves financially. We learned how money works, how to manage it, how to borrow debt responsibly, how to avoid bad debt and the importance of emergency funds as well. Financial literacy was an absolute game changer for us and a critical life skill which has allowed me more time freedom to be with our sons, and we want it for everyone else too!
