Ruth Mu-Lan Chu and James
S.C. Chao, endowed by their daughter, U.S. Department of Labor
Secretary Elaine L. ChaoNgoc-Diem Thi Hoang
Ngoc-Diem grew up in a cramped, tiny apartment shared with her father, a sheet metal worker, her mother and three other siblings. Every month, her family received food stamps and they frequently went to the Sacred Heart center for free food and used clothes. She wore those clothes to school—often faded and three sizes too big. And while her classmates played in the park, she was helping her mother collect empty cans to be sold. Although embarrassed by their poverty, it was a life lesson that has made her a better person today—more appreciative, resilient, and able to look at the brighter things in life.