Ái Vuong tries to live a life outside of the system that society dictates, to describe herself with verbs not nouns, to have a community impact, and to embrace joy. Born in Vietnam, but raised in Texas, Ái has always wondered what life would have been like if she had stayed — and in her early 20s, she set off to discover the land of her parents. Ái’s been on quite the journey so far, but the biggest lesson? Allowing space in your life to be surprised.

Ai is a Vietnamese-born, Texas-bred image-maker + educator. She is the co-founder of TAPI Story and Director of Creativity for School of Slow Media.