After pressing the buzzer, Michelle Wong, age 39, glanced up from her current customer with a grin before pressing the second buzzer for the door to open and greeted her usual customers on a first name basis. Michelle dreamed of success when she came to the United States, not knowing a word of English, but fifteen years later, she’s now the proud owner of the Jade Beauty Salon on Avenue S, Nostrand Brooklyn.
Michelle Wong- Taken by Catherine Mong
In the year 1994, Michelle immigrated to the US with her three-year-old son Ken in tow. At the time, she spoke no English, only able to work at a Chinese restaurants pushing dim-sum carts and earning the minimum wage for a small basement for lodging.
“It was a tough change,” Michelle said. Back in China she already had a house and a semi-comfortable life. However, she wanted to be with her husband, who immigrated to the states earlier with his parents.
Sick and tired of pushing dim-sum carts and earning minimum wage, she decided to go to a beauty school to learn how to paint nails. She did not disclose to which school she had attended, noting it’s been so long that she doesn’t remember the name.
The training only took her three months; however, she quickly found herself pregnant with her second son Terry. Not wanting the fumes from the nail polish to affect her second child, she postponed her plans for a year.
However, two weeks after Terry’s birth, she started the long streak of transferring from one nail salon to another. Michelle had worked from Ralph Ave. in Brooklyn, to Delancey Chinatown, to 86th Street and Ave. M in Brooklyn again.
“I tried partnering twice with three friends—different ones each time—it just simply didn’t work out.” Michelle said sadly.
Even so, past failures did not affect her will to strive for a better life in the US. She started without a word of English, but from interacting with her customers, she slowly learned how to converse in English and even hold lively conversations. Eventually, she managed to open her own salon, the Jade Beauty Salon—going onto its seventh year soon.
When asked if she would like to return to China, she responded with a grin. “It was troublesome to restart my life over, but every moment was worth it—Especially with Ken going off to college soon!”
Wow! What a great atory of triumph. Kudos to her.
I meant story, not “atory.”
this is a great story of an immigrant coming to the United States and succeeding. Always fun and assuring to read stories like this, especially in these economic times.