My Future Work
MY MEMOIR
This memoir explores trauma, identity, and survival through the lens of a child who never knew what it meant to be loved unconditionally. A child who became a rape survivor, an abused girlfriend, a foster youth, a teen mother, and eventually, a scholar.
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It follows her into adulthood and healing—learning to forgive herself and others while navigating life without the tools she should have been given. It shows her path of finding her true identity and life purpose despite the turmoil of her childhood.
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Woven with psychological insight and cultural nuance, it’s a story about what happens when the world fails a child—and what it means to grow up anyway.
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It traces pain, resilience, and memory in the voice of someone who learned early how to self-soothe, survive, and slowly crawl her way out—defying the odds stacked against her.
WHY I'M WRITING THIS BOOK
I’m writing this book for the little girl I used to be, and for all the children who were asked to stay silent, be small, or disappear entirely. I'm writing this for my kids, to show them that breaking generational traumas is possible, and to give them a piece of me I never got from anyone else.
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I believe personal stories can hold truth where data alone cannot. This memoir is my way of making the invisible visible—not just for myself, but for those who are still living through what I survived.
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My hope is that it speaks to readers who’ve never seen their stories reflected, and reminds them that survival is worth honoring, and telling.
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
"To the outside world, we were an immigrant family living the American Dream.
A quiet cul-de-sac.
A three-bedroom house.
A white dog.
Two kids.
A Ba who worked full time, a Mẹ who stayed home.
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When guests came over, the house filled with laughter and carefully prepared food. Ba cheered his Heineken. Mẹ served Rau Câu (Vietnamese jello), and Bánh Bò (Vietnamese pandan honeycomb cake). We were polite, well-dressed, and smiling. When the adults eventually started singing karaoke, I performed for their entertainment. Making Mẹ proud that her daughter was so well behaved, and can sing and dance on her command.
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Ironically, I learned how to perform like my life depended on it. Mẹ taught me what not to say at school—she didn’t want CPS showing up at our doorstep. She would repeatedly foreshadow homes where children were neglected, beaten, or abused—although that wasn’t far from what was already happening at home."
BOOK PROGRESS
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December 2024: Ideation
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March 2025: Drafting early chapters
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June 2025: Revising early chapters
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​Long Term Goal: Complete manuscript after transferring to UC (2027), and alongside future PhD research