In April of 1975, Duy-Loan T. Le and her family left a war-torn Vietnam with only $100 to begin a new life in America. Her two sisters had to give up their education, and her father remained in Vietnam to provide financial means. Four years later — at the age of 16 — Duy-Loan graduated from her high school as a Valedictorian, and continued her education in University of Texas. In 1982, she obtained her BSEE Magna Cum Laude and her MBA in 1989.
Duy-Loan began her early career with Texas Instruments at the age of 19 and today holds 22 patents and 8 pending applications. In 2002, she was the first woman to be elected as a Senior Fellow, a rank equivalent to Senior Vice President of Texas Instruments. Her accolades also include: National Technologist of the Year, Times People, Asian American Engineer of the Year, Who’s Who in the World, Women of Vision: Leadership, Top 15 Women in Business, VANG’s Golden Torch, and the United States Congressional Recognition for Civil Leadership [1].
Duy-Loan is also committed to giving back to the community. She is a part of TI’s Vietnamese Initiative, which is dedicated to providing career advancements for minorities. She is currently on the Board of Directors for two non-profit organizations, one of which is Sunflower Mission, which serves to promote education and enhance social and economic development in underdeveloped countries.
Her inspiration for success began at an early age when her father dreamed his three daughters would become a doctor, lawyer, and for her to become an engineer. Worsening conditions in Vietnam left her family little choice but to move to the United States, where her sisters were forced to give up their education. Duy-Loan was then determined to fulfill her father’s last request that she become an engineer. In a WITI (Woman in Technology International) interview, she states that her philosophy is simple: “You are responsible for your success, and if you fail to succeed, the first person accountable for that failure is you.”
Paris by Night presents Duy-Loan T. Le, a very touching speech:
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Stay tuned for our philanthropy feature on Sunflower Mission!
“you are responsible for your success and if you fail to succeed the first person accountable for that failure is you.”….strongly agree. So inspired!
“you are responsible for your success and if you fail to succeed the first person accountable for that failure is you. .strongly agree. So inspired!
What an inspiring story!
She's such a strong woman. As Viet-Americans, we should be so proud! Slowly but surely, we will make a huge presence in every industry!
if you watch Paris By Night regularly, she was actaully featured and interviewed by Nguyen Ngoc Ngan… she's really really inspiring.
Very nice story, Sara. I have mentioned it here: http://bit.ly/duyloante
Thanks Dien!
Our organization had an opportunity to bring out her out to our conference this past summer. It was the second time I heard her speak live, and I was still as blown away as the first time. She truly is a role model to Vietnamese youth.