Born in Waterloo, Iowa, to a Chinese immigrant father from Canton, China who had come to the United States to start a Chinese restaurant, and a Czech American mother, she grew up feeling different from her peers during the height of the Cold War, often being mocked for the Asian half of her ethnicity.
Born in Waterloo, Iowa, to a Chinese immigrant father from Canton, China who had come to the United States to open a Chinese restaurant and a Czech American mother, she experienced feeling isolated from her peers during the height of the Cold War due to being teased for her Asian heritage.