After spending time in a refugee camp as a child, Devanney Do shares her story of becoming an engineer, a mother, and a business owner.
Devanney Do was only a teenager when she made her first attempt to escape Vietnam.
Her parents, who were farmers, saved up money to send her and her sister on a boat headed for a better life.
“I was terrified,” Do said. “We got caught by the communist and they put us in jail for a month.”
She is one of seven children and said while she had a community in Vietnam, leaving gave her a chance for a life full of opportunity.
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She attempted to leave the communist country once again and escaped by boat in 1988.
“We got lost in the ocean for seven days and eight nights with no food and water,” she said. “I just lay down there and pray, you know, pray to have a chance to survive.”
Do spent one year living in a refugee camp in Malaysia before landing at Bradley International Airport where she was reunited with one of her sisters.
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“I knew nothing about Connecticut,” she said. “The first time I saw the snow falling down, I thought it was, you know, flowers or something flying.”
Although she spoke limited English, she went on to attend and graduate Hartford High School, earning a scholarship to the University of Hartford where she studied to become an engineer.
Today, not only is she an engineer, wife and mother, but also a successful business owner.
Do owns and operates the Chic Spa Microblading Academy, which has three locations in Connecticut and offers a range of beauty services.
“I always had an interest in beauty,” she said. “I just opened a salon. You know, by the word of mouth and my reputation; I became very big. I have thousands and thousands of clients coming in.”
Nearly 40 years after fleeing Vietnam, she now lives the American Dream, but that wouldn't have happened if she didn’t try again.
“I’m a survivor. I’m a fighter,” she said. “Failing is not something negative…in order to be successful, you have to fall a few times.”
