API WOC in Tech: Always Invest in People
At Thoughtworks, we celebrate diversity, so when API Heritage Month came around, it was important to be participate, the represent, and share my wins and tribulations.
Read my responses during my time as a panelist for the global fireside chat among other API leaders at Thoughtworks.
What is your go-to API dish for the summer to keep cool?
My all-time favourite summer dish is iced coffee (better if it’s Vietnamese) or vegan cold spring roll salad with my secret spicy peanut sauce.
Why is AAPI Heritage Month (Awareness) important to you?
It’s important to recognize and celebrate other people who share similar lived experiences as you and who walk through their careers and lives with shared lenses and identities because it allows those people to be seen, to be heard, to come together, to feel accepted, to support each other…and also gives us a platform that we didn’t really have 10-15 yrs ago.
“A lot of our experiences and perspectives weren’t known or shared because we didn’t always have a safe space to do that - the lack of representation has been a huge theme in my early professional and personal life growing up, living and working in NA.”
t’s unfortunate to say it, but back then, it was difficult for someone like me to ever imagine that I could be a leader, be successful at a large company, or be a founder of a startup when all you see is homogeny. I’m thankful that we’re moving in the right direction today and that I work at a place that has enabled me to grow my potential, has supported my professional development, and is full of bright, diverse, kind humans – humans that I can relate to or see myself in.
In your experience, what are some of the challenges that AAPI leaders face? Have you experienced any of them personally, and if so, how have you navigated those challenges in your own career?
Being in the tech industry for over 10 yrs, I’ve worked at multiple agencies, worked with different clients, and was also a full-time educator. I’ve faced a lot of challenges especially at the start of my career - on top of the thread of lack of representation, there were other challenges at play.
1/ My knowledge, skillset, and authority were constantly scrutinized and undervalued indirectly and directly from people above and around me – I was constantly having to prove myself.
I refer to it as the “triple” because I entered the design and tech fields as a young woman of color. While these are just three aspects of my identity, they made me feel undervalued and less capable in the workplace, particularly by upper management and students. This perception showed through micro-aggressions, missed promotions, and lack of recognition for my work. I struggled with being seen as “young,” “Asian,” and “female” – labels that cast me as inexperienced and passive. I always had to prove myself, and over time, this external view made me develop imposter syndrome, where others' disbelief in me led me to doubt myself as well. Experiencing micro-aggressions felt like a thousand small cuts, leaving deep scars that shaped my identity and how I viewed myself. Eventually, I shifted my mindset from “people don’t believe in me, so I don’t believe in myself” to “I believe in myself, so others will believe in me.” This change made a significant positive difference in my life.
I learned to stand up for myself because no one else would. I needed to be honest, not just for myself but for other AAPI people and women, even if it caused issues. I called people out, created space for AAPI voices, and checked in on others. These small actions help prevent past problems from happening again. Another way I dealt with challenges and micro-aggressions was by discussing them with trusted friends and colleagues.
I used writing and publishing to understand my experiences and share them with others who wanted to read or listen.
“Writing was not only a powerful outlet, it shed light to my circumstances and made it even more real - by making it real, it helped me acknowledge my situation to then take action.”
2/ Because of these external perceptions, behaviours, and interactions, I began to internalize them as well which fed into my imposter syndrome.
These observations and experiences weren’t even indirect at all, I was told that because of my age I was not being considered for a pay raise, even though my male counterpart, who is a white, cis-hetero man (who had the same role and even less tenure than me but was older) did receive a salary promotion - everything seemed to be an uphill battle for me when it came to opportunities, credit/recognition, promotions, compensation - it made me feel like I didn’t belong, that I would always be trapped under this glass ceiling, watching people ascend without me.
“I was honest to myself and chose to remove myself from a place that doesn’t recognize my worth and never looked back. I left that workplace even though teaching was so rewarding and I loved working with my colleagues. ”
3/ AAPI and other marginalized groups of people are usually the ones who are doing the invisible mental labour to educate others on social, racial, cultural, gender-based narratives and issues - what I’ve heard over the years in my personal experience is people who are don’t identify as these groups do not involve themselves in discussions because they don’t feel like it’s their place - but that puts the onus on us to do the work.
The right people are here at Thoughtworks. The right people are beside me on my team.
“I stopped doing the work for others. I started to do work on myself. I focused on my career and being a voice, I focused on people who advocated for me through action and behaviour. I guess in that sense though, being a voice is somewhat doing the work, but I’m choosing to do the work for the right people. ”
As an AAPI leader reflecting on that question now, I feel I don’t face the same challenges I did in the past. This may be due to my experience or a straightforward attitude that helps me identify toxic people and environments. I'm grateful for our supportive and inclusive organization and design team, which allows individuals to thrive rather than constantly defend themselves, unlike my reality 8-10 years ago. The only challenge I face now is breaking the stereotype of Asians as merely hardworking, disciplined, and focused, as this perception can be harmful to expectations and sustainability.
Overcoming these challenges in the workplace has been a journey filled with lessons and resilience. Each experience, whether disheartening or uplifting, contributed to my growth as both an individual and a professional. I learned to navigate uncomfortable situations by seeking understanding and creating dialogue.