American Like Me: Timothy Ngo

By Timothy Ngo 

This article first appeared in the Winter 2008 issue of IN magazine.

Under a cover of darkness, a 23-year-old man leads his wife, 10-month-old son and two younger siblings to an awaiting ship, bound for Malaysia and ultimately the United States, that serves as the means of escape from Vietnam, persecution and communism. A week later, the family of five arrives in Maine with $10, little command of the English language and the nearest familiar face 3,000 miles away.

This story of hope, despair and triumph is very close to my heart. It is a story that has kept me grounded and provided lessons that have guided my life. This is a story that is special to my family; yet this is also a story shared by families all over the United States, for it can be recited by immigrant families from many other Asian, Latin-American and other impoverished countries around the world.

Growing up in Rosemead, a suburb of Los Angeles County, I never felt different. While I knew there were obvious differences between the Andrews, Zepedas and Laus, I didn’t think they would profoundly affect my life. I thought much like my parents thought, that hard work and determination would overcome any obstacle.

My perception of reality changed when I entered the corporate world. Working for one of the country’s largest department store chains, several insights led me to a significant revelation. I was different.

As a new addition to the executive training program, I looked with great ambition toward the possibilities that lay ahead yet something was strangely absent from my view. When I looked at all of the executives above me, there weren’t any that resembled me or had similar experiences. Upon inquiry, veterans of the company depicted what could only be described as a very “traditional” culture at the company. How was I to find the support needed to traverse the corporate politics that was prevalent around me? Worse yet, how was I supposed to overcome the negative stigma of Asian-Americans that existed at the company? The stigma that Asian-Americans could not be successful because they were not assertive or progressive and therefore were not fit to lead.

All around me, year after year, I witnessed similar types of individuals receiving additional support and preferential treatment while those similar to me continued to be placed in no-win situations. It was clear after several years that if I wanted to be recognized for my full value, this was not the place and that I would need to be very careful in finding a place that would provide that.