1. What is the experience of being the chairwoman of an organization like the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA)? What was your favorite part of your work as chairwoman and your proudest achievement?

Getting to the onset of being the leader of a big organization is overwhelming. Coming from the most quintessential immigrant story that you can think of, it was the first time I would be leading a huge organization. Obviously I’ve been president of smaller groups, but this was kind
of overwhelming.

The fact that I was entering a leadership role where increasing homeownership within the AAPI community is a big goal was something to look forward to. It was nerve-wracking, but I was really looking forward to what I was going to be able to do and achieve within my time as president.

It was a great and very interesting time for me; it was good timing. My family was very supportive and important to me getting into this leadership role.

My proudest achievement was the successful “No Other” Campaign that we had, but a significant part of my work is visiting all of our chapters and really looking at the grassroots level because that is where I thrive. I’m able to connect with these professionals and make sure the chapters are sustainable and doing the necessary things to contribute to AREAAs collective success. Going into “No Other,” we really became unified and made a concerted effort to focus on the campaign.

I’m a people person. I like talking to and connecting with all the chapter leaders and members, making sure that we’re moving towards the same goals and working to increase the homeownership of our community. The members are really the biggest thing for me; without membership there is no AREAA. Reaching out to them, chapter leaders and members, is the fun part for me.

This connects to my meetings with top executives from the lending institutions we work with; I know who they are, and they know who I am. I’m more of an execution type of person than the talking type.
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