To Dang came to the U.S. with his family from Vietnam. He and his wife had very good positions in their country, but they chose to leave that life because, more than anything else, they needed their only son to have a good future. “We wanted the opportunity for him to study and live in this free, democratic, and dynamic country,” he said.
When they arrived in the U.S., they realized that the challenges were greater than they had anticipated. To Dang searched the web and sent his resume to companies but never got any feedback, or heard that he was over-qualified for the position. “The problem is not just the money. I want to contribute. In my country I used to work, sometimes, 18 hours a day. I did not know how to not work now!” he recalled. He decided to work at a travel agency as a Tour Guide to pay for food and rent. He found Upwardly Global through his friend.
One month before he joined Upwardly Global, in June 2010, To Dang sent in an application for his dream job as a coastal scientist with a company called ESA-PWA, but he never received a response. A few months later he saw that the position was still on their website, so he resent his new resume and cover letter. After a week, they invited him for an interview, and after three more interviews, they offered To Dang the job.
“It is my first professional career in the United States, and I am so happy. I waited a long time and Upwardly Global helped me to never give up. This is the right job for me. I want to thank Upwardly Global and all of the staff for never giving up on me. Now this is my home. I am a California resident, and now I can use my knowledge to protect my coastline. California has a very, very long coastline,” said To Dang.