Mai Chen and her family came to NZ with US$120 in their pockets
Chen Palmer co-founder and managing partner Mai Chen was 10 when she started her first paid job: picking fruit.
“We lived in Bryndwr in a state house and we were poor. Mum had to work and I started cooking for the whole family when I was 10,” Chen shared to NZ Lawyer.
Chen moved from Taiwan to New Zealand with her family at six and a half years old after her father was recruited as a trainer for the national gymnastics team. When they landed in New Zealand, all they had was US$120, which was given to them by the families of Chen’s parents.
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Living in Christchurch, Chen’s family was the second Taiwanese family in the South Island region. They had to learn quickly how to communicate in English, and by the age of 15, Chen was so eloquent, she was victorious at the National Jaycees Speech competition. The win enabled her to go to Sydney in her first trip out of New Zealand.
Chen carried crucial lessons from her parents into her adult life as she got married and went on to attend Harvard Law School.
“I won eight scholarships which allowed me to take my husband with me when I went to Harvard Law School, and paid for all my fees, books and health insurance. This was the only financial assistance I got as my parents never wanted us on welfare of any sort. They wanted us to work for what we got and to give back to our adopted country,” she explains.
“I have known what it is to be powerless and to be looked down on, underestimated and discriminated against, and I have known what it is to be wealthy and powerful. I often feel I have lived 3 lives in one already, but it gives me a unique insight into others’ lives and an empathy that is worth the pains I have sometimes experienced on my journey.”