Victoria will be competing for the title of Miss Illinois USA! Get to know her below!!
How many pageants have you previously competed in? (Please include which system and your placement)
I’ve compete in 7 pageants. Miss Friendship Ambassador of Chicago’s Chinatown 2011 (Top 5), 2013 (Top 5), and 2015 (2nd runner-up). Miss Asia DePaul 2012 (Winner), Miss Asian Global 2016 (no placement), Miss Chicago Chinatown 2016-17 (Winner), Miss Chinatown USA 2017 (no placement).
What made you decide to compete in Miss Illinois USA 2018?
There are many reasons, so I’ll discuss the 4 main reasons. The first reason is, I want to challenge myself on a larger, diverse stage. I’ve only competed in Asian pageants because I didn’t see many titleholders in mainstream pageants who looked like me. But what I’ve come to realize is, if I unapologetically showcase myself, I have a chance. And even if I don’t win, the experience alone is already a valuable lesson that is worth just as much as winning, if not more. The second reason is, I want to showcase to the greater Illinois community, and eventually the nation, what my community has to offer. I will proudly represent Chinatown, the community that has given me multiple opportunities to develop leadership skills via volunteering, internships, and jobs since I was 14 years old. I want to showcase what a beautiful and welcoming community Chinatown is. The third reason is, I want to share my platform, which is youth development via community engagement. 3 years ago, I founded the Associate Board for a youth non-profit in Chinatown called Project: VISION. Each year, I lead this associate board to raise over $20,000. Project:VISION provides free services to youth in the community. I hope to help spread awareness about the value of youth involvement in their respective communities. The fourth reason is, I want to meet women from around the state who are movers and shakers in their communities. I want to learn from them and glean community engagement best practices from their experiences and insights.
Outside of competing in pageants, what do you like to do for fun?
Dragon Boat Racing (a boat of 20 paddlers, steersperson, drummer, and flag catcher), learning computer programming languages, physical training at the gym, and reading motivational books.
Give a brief bio about yourself. Include where you are attending school (include year and major if applicable), your future goals, etc. (Feel free to include however much or little as you like in this section)
I would describe myself as a lifelong learner, youth advocate, and techie. I love to learn, so after graduating with my bachelor of arts in International Studies, I immediately dove into a masters of science in Leadership and Policy studies. I earned my bachelors in 2013 and my masters in 2015, both from DePaul University in Chicago. I then completely changed fields and went into technology. I started as a software tester and I’m now a Service Delivery Analyst, or basically a Technical Project Manager. I love working with people, but I also love to learn how to communicate with computers and glean actionable insights from data. I hope to, in the next 5 years, become a data scientist. I want to eventually take my skills in data science back to the field of education, so that I can improve the quality and access to primary and secondary education via data models.
If you win your state title, what do you hope to accomplish throughout your reign?
I want to visit as much of Illinois as possible such that I have an even better understanding of the state I’m representing at Miss USA! I’d also want to be an even more effective youth advocate by talking with youth groups throughout my state travels about the value of getting involved with their respective communities. I’ve learned and grown SO much from being involved in Chinatown since I was 14, and I hope that the next generation can become just as active or more active than I was.
What is your dream job (besides being Miss USA, of course!)?
Being a data scientist for the Illinois Board of Education. I want to glean actionable insights from the plethora of data we capture, in order to propose solutions for making primary and secondary education more accessible and of better quality.
How many pageants have you previously competed in? (Please include which system and your placement)
I’ve compete in 7 pageants. Miss Friendship Ambassador of Chicago’s Chinatown 2011 (Top 5), 2013 (Top 5), and 2015 (2nd runner-up). Miss Asia DePaul 2012 (Winner), Miss Asian Global 2016 (no placement), Miss Chicago Chinatown 2016-17 (Winner), Miss Chinatown USA 2017 (no placement).
What made you decide to compete in Miss Illinois USA 2018?
There are many reasons, so I’ll discuss the 4 main reasons. The first reason is, I want to challenge myself on a larger, diverse stage. I’ve only competed in Asian pageants because I didn’t see many titleholders in mainstream pageants who looked like me. But what I’ve come to realize is, if I unapologetically showcase myself, I have a chance. And even if I don’t win, the experience alone is already a valuable lesson that is worth just as much as winning, if not more. The second reason is, I want to showcase to the greater Illinois community, and eventually the nation, what my community has to offer. I will proudly represent Chinatown, the community that has given me multiple opportunities to develop leadership skills via volunteering, internships, and jobs since I was 14 years old. I want to showcase what a beautiful and welcoming community Chinatown is. The third reason is, I want to share my platform, which is youth development via community engagement. 3 years ago, I founded the Associate Board for a youth non-profit in Chinatown called Project: VISION. Each year, I lead this associate board to raise over $20,000. Project:VISION provides free services to youth in the community. I hope to help spread awareness about the value of youth involvement in their respective communities. The fourth reason is, I want to meet women from around the state who are movers and shakers in their communities. I want to learn from them and glean community engagement best practices from their experiences and insights.
Outside of competing in pageants, what do you like to do for fun?
Dragon Boat Racing (a boat of 20 paddlers, steersperson, drummer, and flag catcher), learning computer programming languages, physical training at the gym, and reading motivational books.
Give a brief bio about yourself. Include where you are attending school (include year and major if applicable), your future goals, etc. (Feel free to include however much or little as you like in this section)
I would describe myself as a lifelong learner, youth advocate, and techie. I love to learn, so after graduating with my bachelor of arts in International Studies, I immediately dove into a masters of science in Leadership and Policy studies. I earned my bachelors in 2013 and my masters in 2015, both from DePaul University in Chicago. I then completely changed fields and went into technology. I started as a software tester and I’m now a Service Delivery Analyst, or basically a Technical Project Manager. I love working with people, but I also love to learn how to communicate with computers and glean actionable insights from data. I hope to, in the next 5 years, become a data scientist. I want to eventually take my skills in data science back to the field of education, so that I can improve the quality and access to primary and secondary education via data models.
If you win your state title, what do you hope to accomplish throughout your reign?
I want to visit as much of Illinois as possible such that I have an even better understanding of the state I’m representing at Miss USA! I’d also want to be an even more effective youth advocate by talking with youth groups throughout my state travels about the value of getting involved with their respective communities. I’ve learned and grown SO much from being involved in Chinatown since I was 14, and I hope that the next generation can become just as active or more active than I was.
What is your dream job (besides being Miss USA, of course!)?
Being a data scientist for the Illinois Board of Education. I want to glean actionable insights from the plethora of data we capture, in order to propose solutions for making primary and secondary education more accessible and of better quality.