I was born in Oakland, Calif. and raised in Union City by my single mother and extended Chinese and Vietnamese family.

When my father passed away I watched my mother navigate her way through school, jobs and single parenthood. It pivotally impacted the person I am today — of course, I didn’t know it at the time.

In some form and fashion, I was going to be a fighter and a storyteller. Maybe lawyer? A columnist? A novelist?

In 2009, the summer after graduating from NYU, I took my first step towards being a journalist.

Through the Asian American Journalist Association’s mentee/mentor program, I shadowed NBC News Senior Consumer Investigative Correspondent Vicky Nguyen. This was before she made the jump to the Big Apple and was an evening reporter at NBC Bay Area (KNTV) in San Jose, Calif.

The experience got me hired as a news writer at KNTV and, shortly after, my first on-air job at KION/KCBS in Salinas, Calif.

My next reporting position would bring me down to sunny San Diego. I started as a morning reporter for San Diego 6 News (XETV) and then signed with NBC 7 San Diego (KNSD) as their evening reporter.

NBC 7 was my first station that had an investigative team. After more than several years as a general assignment reporter, I was ready to see my work prompt change and hold officials and agencies accountable.

The team’s executive producer, Lynn Walsh, gave me my first opportunity to file an investigative report, and the career pivot was like an outfit change where every piece suddenly fit like a glove.

As a contributor to NBC 7’s investigative team at the time, and still performing my role as a full-time evening general assignment reporter, I won the station four out of its eight journalism awards in 2015/2016.

That was when I knew it was time to return home.

In 2016, I was hired at an investigative reporter for KTVU Fox 2 in Oakland, Calif. My reporting prompted policy change at the Solano County Jail by uncovering a deadly medical alert miss. I investigated the California’s overwhelmed disabled care industry, exposing unchecked cases of abuse and neglect. And, in a series of investigations, I examined claims of Vallejo police misconduct and helped prompt action by city officials and Department of Justice intervention. 

My work investigating the Vallejo Police Department was honored with a 2020 Edward R. Murrow award.

That same year, I returned home again. Not just back to the Bay Area but back to NBC Bay Area.

Around the time Vicky Nguyen joined NBC News, I was hired onto NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit, a nationally-award winning team she helped establish.

I hit the ground running on this Unit and within my first three years, I led multiple investigations that earned Emmys, community awards, and in 2021, prestigious Peabody and SPJ Sigma Delta Chi awards. For more on this work, view the homepage or the Recent Reports tab.

During my free time, I enjoy discovering hole-in-the-wall restaurants and hanging out with my husband and dog Lola.

Also, I love spicy food. It’s almost a problem.