I was born in Vietnam and raised around the world, settling in North Carolina in 1988. After finishing High School and graduating from UNC Chapel Hill in 1998, I took off again. For the next 2.5 years I lived and worked in Japan and Malaysia. In 2001 I returned to North Carolina where I worked in the high tech sector as a software engineer and later as a field applications engineer. 2004 opened new doors for me as I turned my attention to the world of residential and commercial mortgage finance. Finally realizing my true calling, I joined the MBA program at Kenan-Flagler Business School in fall 2005 with a dream to help bring economic prosperity back to my native land, Vietnam. Working with the Kenan Institute has helped me find the vision and put me in touch with the resources to make that happen. Through the Kenan Institute I’ve been able to engage business and policy leaders in North Carolina and internationally. In the summer of 2006 I served as an entrepreneurship and tourism consultant for the Kenan Institute Asia in the Tsunami-affected areas of southern Thailand. Our team was focused on immediate economic recovery planning and long-term destination marketing for our clients and the community of Khao Lak. My efforts were part of the on-going Tsunami Recovery Action Initiative headed up by the Kenan Institute.