People who inspire me.

It takes a very special person to inspire me and gain my very particular admiration. The amount of these individuals in my life are a small handful, and I wanted to share with you one of these people today.

My memories are quite fuzzy, but I remember meeting Trang in a drawing class at a local community college. This was at a time when I decided to transition into a different career, and wanted to take some classes to prepare for it. Trang was a very quiet girl, and I remember having a very short conversation with her about our dreams and goals before she dropped out of one of my classes (which she didn’t belong in at the time). Regretfully, I did not get to know Trang while I was living in Houston, as she moved onto bigger and better things in New York City, faster than I could blink my eyes.

Before I knew it, I was planning my move to New York, and I came in contact with Trang via Facebook. She graciously and generously offered her place for me to stay in while I spent a week and a half in the city looking for an apartment. I remember thinking to myself—how lucky am I that an acquaintance I barely knew offered to have me stay 10 days at her tiny apartment (in HER bed) in the middle of a busy semester at FIT. I was indeed lucky. Ten days is a long time to stay at a friend’s place, much less an acquaintance (at the time). I was so self conscious about getting in her hair and invading her space. I considered myself blessed. Getting to know Trang was one of my more memorable experiences during the first years of my life in New York.

During those 10 days, I got to know one of the most humble, intelligent, and driven souls I’ve ever encountered. I believe at the time she was not even 21 (unbelievable)! I commend her parents for doing such a beautiful job, because in my opinion, she is truly inspiring. Not only was she taking more classes than the average student, but she was also volunteering selflessly in between (I remember hearing her alarm one morning and looking over to see her sitting on the floor, fully asleep,  with her head propped up by her hands, surrounded by drawing pads and sewing supplies). She had so much ambition and drive, and her huge heart longed to help those less fortunate than she. I never heard her brag or complain (not once), and it genuinely warmed my heart. Her desire to help others was fueled by love, not bragging rights or the need for attention. She spoke of it once to me, and never again. Trang was also wise beyond her years. Never in a million years would I think I’d listen to someone much younger than me, give me valuable and solid advice on love, education, and life.  She never spoke ill of anyone, never contradicted herself, and never hid behind a facade—what you saw was what you truly got. I was in awe. By the final day of my stay, I was sad to leave. I knew that I was destined to meet Trang for a reason though, and that was comforting. I live my life by signs, and it just so turned out that 231 was the magic number. Trang’s address in Chelsea was 231, and my newly signed apartment’s address on the East side was 231 as well.

After I found my apartment and settled into the city, I made it a point to keep in touch with Trang (thank goodness for social media). We would message each other here and there, but I always felt like I was bothering her since she was such a busy worker bee (I surely hope I wasn’t). Trang soon got into FIT’s program to study in Italy before she was actually eligible to go. I wasn’t surprised, but I sure was happy for her. Our check in’s with each other became more few and far between, but I thought about Trang often. So to my delight I logged into Facebook today to see Trang’s acceptance letter into Nottingham Trent University’s Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textile’s program. This girl is unstoppable. It brings me such immense joy to see genuine and kind people like Trang relentlessly chase their dreams and follow the path to success. She is early in her journey, but I can’t wait to watch her blossom and achieve greatness.

I don’t say this often, but Trang is a needle in a haystack. Of all of the people I’ve known and met in my life, Trang is one of the 3 who brings me to say, “Wow. I wish I could be more like her.”