Tell us about your background.
I wear many titles: mother, educator, entrepreneur, wellness advocate, media host and cofounder and president of The Source of Hope. For more than two decades, I have worked across health and wellness, education, business development, media and community service. I have helped establish thousands of salons, spas and medical spas, and through The QC Show, I have shared resources and encouraged entrepreneurship, healthy living and civic engagement within the Vietnamese American community.
Of all the titles I have been given, the one closest to my heart is servant. My life has taught me that success is not measured only by what we accomplish for ourselves. It is measured by how many people we encourage, teach, mentor and help move forward. Education has always been part of that purpose, because knowledge and opportunity can change not only one life, but an entire family’s future.
Tell us about The Source of Hope.
The Source of Hope is a Plano-based nonprofit serving vulnerable individuals and families throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Our work addresses food insecurity, education, wellness, professional development and the barriers that keep people from moving forward.
Through our food programs, we prepare and distribute thousands of meals each month and partner with other organizations to share groceries and essential supplies with families in need.
Education for Hope is central to our mission. We provide virtual tutoring for middle and high school students in subjects like English, algebra and geometry, along with preparation for STAAR, SAT and AP exams. Our literacy and mentoring efforts help students build the reading, writing and communication skills they need to succeed. We also offer scholarships, student shadowing opportunities, Federal Work Study positions with The University of Texas at Dallas and hands-on experience through our Emerging Professionals Program. Our goal is never only to meet an immediate need. It is to help each person feel seen, supported and equipped for a stronger future.
What inspired you to cofound The Source of Hope?
My husband, Wesley, and I cofounded The Source of Hope because we saw too many people struggling quietly with hunger, homelessness, health concerns and a lack of opportunity. Many of them did not simply need food or financial help. They needed someone to look past their circumstances and see their potential.
We wanted to build something that would serve people with dignity while also helping them build a stronger future. That is why education became such a vital part of our mission. A meal can carry someone through today, but education, mentorship and encouragement can change the direction of tomorrow.
The Source of Hope was built from faith, compassion and the belief that hope must become action. Sometimes hope looks like a warm meal. Other times, it looks like a scholarship, a tutor, a mentor or someone willing to open a door that once seemed permanently closed.
What from your childhood shapes the way you approach this work?
My childhood shaped everything about the way I serve. I experienced tremendous trauma and loss growing up in Vietnam. At only 12 years old, I escaped the country with my four brothers. For 13 harrowing days, we were adrift at sea, not knowing if we would survive, not knowing if we would ever see our family again. My brother and I were finally rescued and taken to a refugee camp in Malaysia. With the help of faith organizations and strangers who owed us nothing, I was eventually reunited with my father in the United States.
That experience taught me what it feels like to be afraid, to be uncertain and to depend entirely on the kindness of people you have never met. It also taught me that a single act of compassion can change the entire direction of a life. Because of what I survived, I never overlook the underdog. I do not judge people by their most difficult chapter, because I know what it is to live inside one. The people who helped me could not have known everything I would one day accomplish, but they chose to believe my life was worth saving anyway. Through The Source of Hope, I try to extend that same belief to others.
How has the organization evolved since its founding?
We began by responding to immediate needs, especially hunger. We prepared meals, collected groceries and served people who did not know where their next meal was coming from.
As we listened more closely to the families we served, we learned that hunger is rarely an isolated problem. It is tangled up with unemployment, health struggles, interrupted education and a lack of supportive relationships. That understanding pushed us toward a more holistic mission, one that includes wellness, mentoring, scholarships, tutoring and professional development.
Our Beauty of Education Scholarship Program, created in 2013, supports students pursuing cosmetology education. In 2018, we established the Hope Scholarship Program to help individuals advance their education, career, health or overall well-being. What began as a small effort to provide meals has grown into a network of programs built to nourish both the body and the future.
Can you share a story about someone impacted by your work?
Some of our most meaningful stories come from students who enter our programs unsure of themselves. Many arrive with academic knowledge, but little professional experience. Some have never had a mentor or been trusted with real responsibility.
Through our Emerging Professionals Program, they contribute in areas like accounting, communications, outreach and program development. Over time, we watch a transformation take place. A student who once hesitated to speak begins leading a meeting. Someone uncertain about their future discovers a strength they did not know they had.
We have also watched people who once came to us for help return later to volunteer. Those moments move me deeply, because they remind us that people do not want to be defined by what they lack. They want the chance to contribute, to belong and to know they still have something valuable to offer the world.
Why is Plano an important place for The Source of Hope?
Plano is our home. It is where our family has grown, where we built our businesses, and where our strongest community relationships began. Plano is known for education, innovation and strong community leadership, home to talented students, professionals and families with knowledge and resources to share.
At the same time, hardship is not always visible, even in a thriving community. Students may need tutoring. Families may face food insecurity. Young adults may struggle to find their first real opportunity. Plano allows us to connect the strengths of our community with the needs of people throughout North Texas. A strong city is not measured only by economic growth. It is measured by how willing its people are to invest in the dignity and future of others.
What role can local residents play in helping you succeed?
Local residents are essential to everything we do. They can volunteer, prepare and serve meals, mentor students, provide tutoring, or share their professional expertise with young people hungry for guidance.
Businesses can sponsor scholarships, donate technology, provide speakers or support paid learning opportunities. Attracting corporate partners and donors is one of our most urgent priorities right now. Individual generosity has carried us this far, but it cannot carry us into the future alone. Corporate support is what allows us to expand our reach, sustain our programs year-round, and serve far more families and students than individual giving could ever make possible on its own. We need companies in Plano and across North Texas to see The Source of Hope not as a one-time gesture, but as a long-term investment in the future of this community.
Everyone has something valuable to give. A few hours of guidance may help a student pass an exam. A single introduction may lead to a career. A scholarship may allow someone to continue an education they were preparing to abandon. Small acts create lifelong impact.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.