Victoria Cua

2020 Miss Los Angeles Chinatown - 4th Princess

Victoria is an avid supporter of music therapy and will use her education to research and develop various ways to serve the community.  With the passion to share music, she has been taking part in voluntary work for autistic children and play piano in senior homes.

Culture continues to change rapidly with the advancements in technology; music will always connect people from different cultures and bring people together. This can increase respect, empathy, and social connection for each other. With the power of music as an international language, Victoria would like to set up a music sharing group locally in Los Angeles to encourage each other to live a positive life.

Victoria chooses to advocate for AbilityFirst. AbilityFirst, with a long history of supporting local communities, provides a variety of programs designed to help people with disabilities achieve their personal best throughout their lives.  They empower individuals with autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome and other intellectual/developmental disabilities to discover what is important to them in their lives and to develop the skills that are important for them to achieve their goals.  With mutual trust, participants are encouraged to look beyond disabilities, focus on capabilities and expand possibilities.

AbilityFirst’s supported employment programs provide adults with disabilities the level of support they need to find and retain meaningful employment in competitive job markets.  For the course of next year, Victoria will continue to volunteer and help to fundraise for the organization to support the employment services. 

Tiffany Chi was born in Monterey Park and raised in West Covina, California. She graduated from UC Irvine on full scholarship earning a B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Management. As a result of her empathetic personality and drive to care for others, Tiffany became actively involved in Alpha Phi Omega, a national service and leadership fraternity. Her most impactful moment came when she championed a silent auction to benefit Alzheimers Awareness. The success of this endeavor; over $3,000 raised, inspired her current vision to start a non-profit organization. Tiffany is a marketing manager for Fortune 500 companies by day and a user interface design student by night. She desires to share her entrepreneurial passion by being a role model within the Asian American community and produce positive change by leading fundraising initiatives. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, reading, and exploring new foods.

Qian (Jennifer) Jiang was born in An Hui, China and immigrated to the United States when she was 10 years old. Growing up, her parents taught her the values of diligence, persistence, and compassion when facing obstacles and challenges in her life. In 2010, Qian graduated from UC San Diego with her Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacology, Chemistry and a minor in Photography, Visual Arts. Currently, she is pursuing her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Western University of Health and Sciences, Pomona. At Western University, Qian serves the student body as the Director of Public Relations and Historian for the National Community Pharmacy Association. These professional leadership roles allowed her to serve as a strong advocate for her school and the community. In the future, Qian is looking forward to utilizing her Chinese heritage and healthcare skills to serve the unique and diverse cities of Los Angeles.

Amber Phung is an undergraduate Biology/Pre-Med student and Biology Teaching Assistant attending the University of La Verne. Amber also works for AHMC Health Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to improve the health and wellness of those underserved. There is not just one word to describe Amber. Barely turning 21, she has accomplished much more than many of those at her age. Amber has been involved in Speech and Debate for seven years, using her unique sense of humor to advocate and inspire others to be better on a local and national scale. She also conducts research on Orchids' genetic development for preservation. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, working out, and telling jokes. She also has an interest in cars, comedy, and modeling.

Celine Cecillia Linarte was born and raised in Southern California, but has traveled the world extensively. After visiting many cities in China as well in Taiwan, Celine feels a strong cultural identity and hopes to expand on international relations. As the youngest contestant, she just graduated high school and is current on dean's list with a 4.0 GPA at her university. In the future, Celine aspires to become a successful international business lawyer after graduating.

As an active member of the community, Celine has volunteered in numerous projects and events such as the Golden Dragon Parade as well as Lupus Race for Life and local community work. In addition, she has been involved in numerous sports as well as dance, piano, ice skating, modeling, acting, and pageantry. Celine hopes to expand her perspective on the world and embrace every opportunity.

Alysha Chan

Alysha Chan was born and raised in the beautiful suburb of Arcadia to proud parents Dr. Paul Chan and Mrs. Debra Yee-Chan and younger siblings Melany and Tyler. She just graduated with two degrees in May as part of a five-year dual-degree engineering program. She first attended Scripps College for three years and studied Engineering and Hispanic Studies. Her involvement in the Asian American Sponsor Program and the Asian American Student Union enabled her to protest for minority workers’ rights through the Bus Riders Union and the Hilton LAX Boycott.

For the past two years, Alysha studied Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University and was on the Dean’s List. She was Vice President of the Asian American Alliance and Senior Events Director of the Engineering Student Council. She is very passionate about the environment and aspires to become an environmental policymaker to be at the forefront of enacting environmental change. Alysha has been playing basketball competitively for over 12 years, and she also loves running, making YouTube videos with her friends, and vacationing with her tight-knit family.

Carrie Gan

2010 miss los angeles chinatown - 4th Princess

Six months has passed since the day of thrill and excitement—the day of the 2010 Miss LA Chinatown pageant.

I was recently interviewed by LA 18's LA Living and it was a wonderful experience.

This year I had the privilege to China with the rest of the Miss LA Chinatown court to represent the Chinese American community.

I consider myself extremely lucky because, thanks to our sponsor Yihua Company, the ENTIRE Miss Los Angeles court was able to go to China. Usually, only the top two winners get to go, so I feel very fortunate that I had this opportunity. Some of my favorite memories of the trip include practicing Cantonese in Hong Kong, witnessing China’s beauty through the Great Wall and World Expo, as well as learning Kung Fu from the Shaolin monks. However, for me, the one highlight of the China trip that I will always remember is visiting Yihua Company in Shantou. My whole trip to China was made possible by this company, so I really wanted to meet the owners and thank them personally. It was amazing to see how big the company grew in just a matter of years—starting with only a few hundred dollars in the 1980s and now employing over 8,000 employees as an international power brand. Everyone in the city knew about Yihua—the company even has their own song that is available in the local karaoke selection! Despite their presence, the owner and vice president of Yihua still took time to meet with us and make sure our stay was pleasant. They gave us a tour of their many factories, museum, farmland (that they give provide for their employees), lumber yard, as well as their five-story guest vacation villa. As the vice president explained the history and current operations of Yihua, there clearly was a sense of pride in their company and city. Through our bicycle rickshaw rides in the city and attentive meals, I truly felt humbled by Yihua’s warm welcome into their home. Who was I to be granted this experience of a lifetime by such kind individuals?

The entire pageant experience from the application process to the trip to China has truly been about being the best ME. Through meeting amazing individuals such as the owners of Yihua as well as the current Queen and court members, each experience helped me become a better person. I realized this pageant was not about competing with the other girls—there are always girls who will be taller than me, prettier than me, smarter than me, “fill in the blank” than me. When I reflect back on why I decided to compete in the pageant to begin with, I realized it was because it was something that scared me, and something that I had never done before. I was scared of being on stage, of being stereotyped as “one of those beauty queen types,” and of investing so much heart into the pageant only to be disappointed. However, I also realized that the opportunities for personal growth would be greater than all my fears combined. It was the lure of becoming someone of grace and poise, of elegance and confidence, and also of maturity and integrity that drew me to compete with my inner being for a solid four to five months of pageant preparation. From public speaking practice to memorizing dance routines (I’ve never took a formal dance class before) to learning what my views are on every current event topic, I challenged myself to look beyond the skin and the physical events happening around me. The most important part of the pageant would be growing and learning from it.

On the night of the pageant, I got much more than I had hoped for. I had a screaming crowd of over 50 friends, family, and supporters cheering me on. All my fears quickly dissipated with each step I took on stage. My support crowd occupied a good sixth of the room in the back and was waving their “Carrie” posters frantically with fervor and passion. I was awestricken with emotion about how many people came to support me in this competition against… my best self. With so much loving support from friends who believe in whatever I commit to, I knew I had won already. The pageant experience was ultimately about learning lessons of love for my friends, family, and for MYSELF and not about whether or not I had placed high enough. So would I take back any of the precious lessons I have learned? Absolutely not.