Without speaking or understanding English, Cindy Dao first arrived in the United States when she was 7 years old as a refugee. Her family - her mother and nine siblings - landed in Houston during the Vietnam War, having lost everything.

She had to adapt to a new culture and learn a new language in a stressful time when just saying "Vietnam" filled a room with tension. Despite all these losses and being bullied because she didn't know English, Cindy graduated from high school early at age 15 and finished college when she was only 19.

Now, she runs three successful businesses - including real estate and insurance companies - serves on a variety of boards and shares her story with everyone. "The American Dream for me is where I'm at now," she explained.

"[It's also] the endless opportunities that all of us are given," she said. "Sometimes it upsets me when people here don't see the opportunity or don't pursue education."

This is part of what motivates her to stay active in the community and follow her biggest passion, teaching the community about not only her life's struggles but also about opportunities available to better their lives, whether that's through education or services a nonprofit offers.

Cindy is currently serving on the boards of the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce, YMCA and Arlington Police Foundation, but that's just a small sampling. She also helped establish and grow the Arlington Chamber Women's Alliance to more than 500 members in roughly 5 years and has served on boards for many other organizations.

She loves the community in Arlington and values the relationships she's developed. "If you can prove yourself right and you have that credibility, you'll get support," she said.