From the age of 6, Susan Lieu was a powerhouse, answering the phone and removing customers' nail polish at her family's Bay Area nail salon. When she was 12, her world came crashing down when her mother, who had survived a harrowing escape from Vietnam years earlier, died unexpectedly of surgical complications. The experience took much from Lieu, but gave her something that sustains her to this day. After her mother's seemingly senseless death, Lieu said, "I was determined to have a purpose." Since then, the Oakland, CA resident has earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard, supported sustainable farming methods in Vietnam, worked with an AIDS project in an African refugee camp, and started a successful chocolate business. All in the span of a quarter-century!
