My Story

ZAO me maybe?

On my 4^th day abroad in Hong Kong, with no cellphone, no sense of direction, and no Octopus card, I jumped on the MTR for the first time to meet Vicky. With mixed feelings of anxiousness and excitement, I shared a casual exchange with Vicky of the sweaty sauna-esque heat and humidity in Hong Kong and the current progress of the East Asian economy as we walked towards the office. Upon arrival, I received a crash course in ZAOZAO 101. Vicky gave me the background of the startup, of her and Ling, their visions for the future of ZAOZAO, and invited me to take part in this vision as well. I was eager to get started, but at the same time a bit nervous due to my limited experience and knowledge.

Up until recently, to say I knew nothing about fashion is an understatement. In middle school, while other girls were obsessed with Teen Vogue and Seventeen, experimenting with purple eyeliner, blue mascara, and denim skirts from Abercrombie, I was more into reading the Babysitter’s Club and volunteering at the library. My wardrobe consisted of hand-me-down jeans, (unfitted and oversized) t-shirts in every color of Skittles, and sneakers.

my heart, my soul, my reasons to smile :)

A first generation immigrant to the United States, I felt that I needed to work harder to catch up with those around me. But because of my cultural and language barriers, I could not find any way to become on the same level as everyone else other than performing well academically. Thus, I put my everything into studying and more studying, with no extra time or energy to pick up other interests. Back then, I did not care about anything but getting good grades. A solid report card was my way of paying my parents back for all their sacrifices in order for me to have a better future in America. Further, it was my way of defining myself in a foreign environment where I did not know how to express myself otherwise.

When high school came around, I initially remained the GPA-oriented Asian. It was not until I began joining more student organizations and picking up more extracurricular activities around campus that I was molded into a more well-rounded mindset, with an increasing thirst to explore different passions, a never-ending curiosity, and a ‘need for speed’ attitude to do as much as I could as fast as I could. Summer of freshman year, when I began my first job search was when I first learned the importance of physical presentation, and developing a sense of fashion. Thus, I began flipping through the occasional Vogue or Elle, filling and refilling my MetroCard due to frequent shopping sprees in NYC, and fell in love with flower printed patterns and flats. Fashion became my form of self-expression. 

But up until this summer, fashion has always been something I thought was uniquely interesting, but never had an opportunity to further explore. Working with ZAOZAO has given me the opportunity not only delve further into understanding fashion, but also social media, marketing, innovation, entrepreneurialism, and how these are all related. In learning all the behind-the-scene work in an up and coming fashion-startup, working with Ling and Vicky and not only diversified and expanded my eye for fashion, increased my knowledge of social media, but also helped me mature and grow as an individual.

displaying my Asian pride worldwide at the office

I have sincerely enjoyed my internship with ZAOZAO thusfar, as it has been a rewarding experience in exposure to both the fashion and tech fields. Likewise, it has been interesting to be able to work with a startup. What I love most is the exhilaration in watching things start to piece together. I share Ling and Vicky’s thrill whenever I see someone "like" a Facebook comment, or our views go up on our blog’s Google Analytics. It has been very fruitful to see first-hand direct results of projects that I have taken part in. 

Between interning five days a week for ZAOZAO, attending 6-hour classes at HKUST, and trying to explore as much of Hong Kong as I can, I have felt like the busiest person on the planet, and I am loving every minute of it. I am often spotted darting out of class to catch the next MTR into the city, and coming back in the evening with a stronger desire to pass out Snorlax-style rather than go out for the duration of the evening. Some of my classmates have asked me why I always have to be so busy, and I tell them that, like Ling and Vicky, I enjoy this fast-paced, constantly on my feet type of lifestyle. After all, carpe diem: seize the day and make every minute count J

Snorlax: my Pokemon form

Right now, I’m in a fabulous city and interacting with fascinating people at ZAOZAO who are definitely passionate about what they do. I thank Ling and Vicky for their continuous encouragement and patience with me. As a newcomer to the fashion and tech industries, I often ask a lot of questions, mainly to avoid potential errors on my part. Ling and Vicky and not only been patient with all of my (sometimes quite repetitive) inquiries, but have applauded my questions, and reassured me that they understand it is how I will learn. Most importantly, from day one I have never felt like "the intern” but more part of the team, working with ZAOZAO towards a collective vision, and I feel very blessed to be a part of Ling and Vicky’s spectacular dream.

Skype date from across the world with my mother after a hard day's work

After interacting with Ling and Vicky for a month now, and getting to know them on both a personal and professional level, I sincerely believe they are a dream team. They compliment each other very well, and together have all the qualifications to become successful entrepreneurs in their field of work. Interning with them has been both inspirational and motivational. They have a genuine and sincere passion for what they are doing, and are always aiming for the stars and beyond, which I think is quite rare to find in people in their age group. I think they are both, in many aspects, wise beyond their years.

the team @ Hong Kong Fashion Week 2012

After this summer in Hong Kong, I will be returning to my final year in University (eek!), and soon entering the real world/reality. Not too long ago, I was quite uncomfortable of the unknown near future, particularly in regards to finding a fitting job, and further where my career will take me in life. But after a summer with ZAOZAO, I have learned that anything is possible with enough determination and passion- I have been challenged to step outside of the box, and most significantly, I have been motivated to live the dream and learn to chase it.  So no matter where life may take me in the future, I will take with me the can-do attitude I have learned this summer, push forward with perseverance, and of course, remain a loyal ZAOZAO supporter forever and always ♥