Hello! I’m a Community Manager for the Practicing Resilience for Self-Care & Healing community.This is an introduction to me and this new community.

I graduated with a B.S. in Public Health from Santa Clara University June 2017. And I’m interested in preventing chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, at the community and population level by addressing biological, psychological, and social factors that affect chronic disease outcomes.

As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, I listened as my parents told me stories about the trauma and hardship they went through to escape persecution in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and in the US as they rebuilt their lives after leaving everything behind. At the time, I had not yet learned about resilience, but my parents’ experiences had sparked my curiosity. I was and am captivated by their strength and perseverance to have begun anew, to establish themselves in a new country, and to talk about their struggles.  

During the 2015-2016 school year, in one of my classes, I first heard about ACEs and resilience. I followed my inclinations, and in summer 2016, I researched building and measuring resilience during my internship at Kaiser Permanente in Hayward, CA. I became interested in the long-term effects of ACEs on individual health, that there can be increased risks of chronic diseases later in life, how resilience can be a protective factor, and community and population mobilization for resilience.

In this community, I hope to learn more about all of you and to provide resources for healing and resilience. Caring for ourselves now could lessen chronic diseases later in life. Through building a community, both in this online community and in the real-life community, we can create a support system that encourages self-care and community resilience.

What you can expect from me in the Practicing Resilience Community:

• Each month, we will focus on one resilience practice to learn and try. You’ll get a reminder in the weekly updates, so you won’t miss it.
• Each week, I’ll also share an inspirational quote and relevant articles/blog posts about resilience. You can share inspiration, resources, articles, and how practicing resilience for self-care and healing is going for you.

I would love to hear from YOU:

• Why you are in this community?
• What resources would you like to see and read here?
• What are your experiences and questions?
• What do you want to share about this topic?
• You are welcome to share your own resilience, self-care, and healing practices. Please add to the blog, the resources, the calendar. I would love to read what you share and I’m sure others will too.
• If you prefer, you are welcome to also message me resources and links and I can post them for you anonymously.

I’m excited to get to know you. Welcome!