Ashley Yao 姚嘉琳

2024 Miss Los Angeles Chinatown - 3rd Princess

Ashley is a dedicated transportation professional focused on enhancing safety and accessibility across the SoCal region. She earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly SLO and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA.
Her favorite part of being on the Miss LA Chinatown court? The deep sense of sisterhood with her fellow court members and MLAC alumni. She sees the Meet The Court event as a chance to gather support for their community service efforts.
Ashley joined the pageant to honor her family and the Chinese community that has been her anchor through many moves. The CCCLA’s commitment to preserving culture and traditions in LA Chinatown resonates deeply with her.

Yiwa Lau

2020 miss los angeles chinatown - 3rd princess

The platform that I am engaging in this year, on court, is homelessness. Throughout my adolescent years, I have always been passionate about providing resources to the less fortunate. In high school, I spearheaded a volunteer organization for students to engage and build relationships with the homeless.

After befriending people on the streets over the years, I have come to know their stories and their needs. As a connector, I want to bring the appropriate resources to the homeless community so we can together, address the issue of homelessness while preserving their dignity. Christ Centered Communities has been an organization that I have actively been a part of before joining the Miss Chinatown court. We provide food twice a week to our guests, hand out supplies, and ultimately provide a safe space for people experiencing homelessness. I want to build new relationships I am excited to be able to continue this working relationship with Christ Centered communities, an organization that is so close to my heart.

Ashley Thompson

2019 miss los angeles chinatown - 3rd princess

Tingting Shi was born and raised in China. She moved to the United States with her parents at the age of 16 where she learned English as her second language by continuing her education, joining school clubs, volunteering, and working at a shopping mall. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, emphasis in Management and Human Resources, from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in June 2016. Tingting is currently a manager at a cosmetics store called Nature Republic, and she continues to expand her expertise in managing and motivating individuals at work to be a better person and employee. During her free time, she enjoys cooking and traveling. She is also passionate about skin care and cosmetics. She hope to become a strong independent woman and own her own international cosmetic company in the future. Her approachable personality and positive attitude allows her to spread smiles to her surroundings and everyone else. 

Vivian Tisi was raised in the city of San Gabriel, a city that has fostered her passion for her Chinese roots. She graduated summa cum laude (top 1%) from California State University, Los Angeles, with a Bachelor's Degree in Speech Language Pathology, earning her position with the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and on the Dean's List.

Vivian is currently completing her Master's Degree at her alma mater, also serves as President of the local chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association and as the graduate coordinator of her department's peer mentoring program. Through these ventures, she has been able to lead her peers in giving back to the community of communication sciences through mentorship, networking, and volunteering.

Upon graduation, Vivian aspires to work at a hospital to rehabilitate survivors of traumatic brain injuries and degenerative diseases. Her fluency in Mandarin-Chinese will help her work with the ethnically and culturally diverse populations of our beloved Los Angeles.

After graduating from UCLA with B.A. in Business Economics and a minor in Chinese, Diana began her career as a Contracts Manager for the United States Air Force where she acquires multi-million dollars space satellite systems to support the troops on behalf of the Department of Defense. Diana is aspired to become a Senior Executive in the Federal Government to bring a positive influence into the American Government and serve as a role model in the Asian American community. In 2013, Diana earned her M.B.A. from Webster University as a Distinguished Graduate with Honors. Diana believes what makes her "whole" as a person is not limited to the plaques of recognition displayed on her wall but her ability to make a positive impact in this world. Diana is inspired to share her passion to educate the community about the Chinese culture through her participation in the Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Pageant.

Born in Los Angeles Chinatown, Annie later grew up in Diamond Bar, California. Moved by the sacrifices her immigrant parents made in order to give her and her sister a better life, she strived to succeed in all her endeavors. Annie graduated from UCSD with a major in International Relations. Her scholastic achievements not only put Annie on the Honor List but also allowed her to receive her Bachelor's Degree in three years. While in college, Annie started and continues to manage a cosmetics distribution company. Following college, Annie graduated from Southwestern Law School's prestigious 2-year accelerated SCALE J.D. Honors program in May 2012. Recently Annie has passed the California State Bar Examination. She is now an Associate of the Taschner Law Firm, practicing international law and serving as legal counsel for an international pharmaceutical company. In her free time, Annie enjoys dancing, playing piano, and being with her family.

Ruby Chen was born in Guangdong, South of China in 1992. During her childhood she studied in Traditional Chinese Painting. She has won several awards in following contests such as Junior Painting Contest in Guangdong Province. Moreover, she is fluent in Mandarin and Teochew dialect. She graduated from high school in Singapore two years ago. Meanwhile, she went to nursing home to help the homeless people on weekly basis, and such action is completely out of her own faith of kindness. The way she defines kindness is to help people without anything in return. In 2010, Ruby was accepted with UC Riverside as an international student. Currently she attends Mt. San Antonio College for her Associated Degree in Communication major, and she is preparing to transfer to Pepperdine University in the future. Ruby is always appreciative and grateful for the unconditional love and support from her family and friends.

Ashley Fong was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. While attending South Hills High School, she founded the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter at her school, held leadership positions in various clubs and student body, and actively competed in a multitude of piano competitions, winning prestigious awards such as Bach Complete Works Audition medals, Panel State, and Panel Master Class. Her passion for the arts has brought her to University of California, Los Angeles, where she is culminating her Bachelor degree this quarter as a Music major with two concentrations, Piano Performance and Music Education.

aving a personality that cares for others, she is interested in Music Therapy and Education for graduate studies. Aside from teaching kids piano and dedicating time to community service, Ashley loves to travel and discover different cultures, enjoys arts and crafts, cooking, golfing and catching the latest movies.

Nebula Gu

2010 miss los angeles chinatown - 3rd princess

Since being crowned the 2010 Miss Los Angeles Chinatown 3rd Princess, I have had the pleasure of taking part in many new experiences. So far this year, we've attended numerous events as goodwill ambassadors, from attending the East West Players Visionary Dinner to riding on a Nisei Week Parade float. None, however, was more exciting or rewarding than our recent trip to China. From learning authentic Kung Fu birthed in the mountains of Henan to entering the Olympic Stadium at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, China is a true blend of the old and the new. It is amazing to see how the nation has evolved and changed through the years, yet still maintaining the heritage of being one of the oldest cultures in the world.
Nebula was truly able to admire and appreciate how China has perfected this balance, and embrace my cultural identity in the process. During our trip, there was no city that I looked more forward to visiting than Shanghai. Since I had family in Shanghai, I was, in a way, returning to my roots. The few days we had in the city went by quickly. The four of us spent the first day on our own – visiting family, shopping, walking down the beautiful streets, or simply resting. In the evening, we went on the Wang Pu Jiang River Cruise, which showcased the beautiful sights of the Shanghai bay. The second day was spent at the World Expo, where we visited the China National Pavilion, USA Pavilion, Coca-Cola Pavilion, and the China Mobile/China Telecom Pavilion. As special guests, we fortunately did not have to wait in the long lines and were given a tour of the pavilions, each of which had their own inspirational film. We especially enjoyed the Coca-Cola pavilion, where an assortment of candy and beverages were available to us, including a newly developed plant-based bottle that we marveled at. In the evening, we attended a presentation highlighting the fashion and culture of 1930s Shanghai. While watching, we dined with two representatives of the Shanghai Police force and enjoyed authentic (and delicious) Shanghai cuisine. Indeed, this was a trip that will forever be memorable. It was an honor to represent the Los Angeles Chinese-American community in various cities of China. I look forward to the rest of my reign here in Los Angeles and celebrating the unique and amazing community that I am so thankful to be a part of.