Mia Newell

I was brought to America from Vietnam after the war at five years old - malnourished, starving, bloated, and uncertain of what life would become. I grew up as the only Vietnamese girl in a family of redheads in small-town Nebraska, so I learned early that different wasn't something to hide. I only spoke Vietnamese. My family only spoke English. Somehow, love translated. Survival gave me grit. Grace gave me purpose. My mom always joked that she chose me over a sewing machine, and honestly, that decision changed my life. The words written on my chest, "Grace Saved" remind me that before I ever understood grace, I experienced it through faith, compassion, and people who chose love when they didn't have to. That grace shaped how I see people, how I lead, and how I move through the world. Not from ego. Not from title. But from gratitude for the life I was given. Grace didn't just save me. It shaped the way I care for people - making sure they feel seen, valued, and chosen. And it reminds me to never forget where I started...with one tablespoon of milk in an orphanage.