Meet Cynthia Koo! Cynthia is a native New Yorker. She currently works at a technology startup while also running her own Etsy business. Check out her Etsy store here and read on for the full interview.
What brings you to New York City? What makes you want stay? How would you characterize New York City? I was born and raised in New York City. I lived in California for three months, but couldn't resist the pull of NYC back. New York is a city infused with possibility. My favorite quote about it comes from The Great Gatsby: "I love New York on summer afternoons when everyone's away. There's something very sensuous about it - overripe, as if all sorts of funny fruits were going to fall into your hands." What do you do? What issues are most important to you? Why? I'm a designer, and I currently work at a technology startup while running an Etsy business, Wonton In A Million (www.wontoninamillion.com) on the side. A couple of years ago, I took a few months off to travel and tasked myself with figuring out what the problem was that I wanted to work on. What did I want to spend my career fighting for? For a few reasons, I decided what meant the most to me was education. For a few reasons. I believe so strongly that there are no solutions to society's problems that can't be solved by better education. Better in a few ways: More accessible. More personal. More holistic. Imagine a world in which a generation grows up learning to be kind, generous, and community-minded. What are you most proud of in your life so far? I just spent the last year building Wonton In A Million - an Etsy store selling dimsum-inspired merchandise. I’ve started and stopped tons of projects. I keep a list of things that I want to build - someday. This is the first time I've built something that has reached a level of momentum and exposure that I think can serve as a springboard for me to do a range of bigger and impactful things. One of my goals, for example, is to help usher Chinese cuisine (and culture) into the American imagination. Exposure to Chinese food is relatively low in a lot of the country. In a lot of places, impressions of Chinese food is limited to takeout restaurants. Unlike other Asian cuisines (Japanese in particular), there is little appreciation for it as an art form. But there is so much craft and finesse that goes into making Chinese food. And there is such a variety of it. I think food is a great and easy way to access and begin to learn about a culture - and I'm hoping WIAM will help me to help more people do that. Who inspires you? Each and every person daring to own and fight for their dreams. What are your goals as a civic leader/activist/advocate? I don't feel entirely comfortable calling myself a civic leader/activist/advocate. But I'd love if what I do and try to do is enough to prove that we don't all have to dedicate our lives or careers to a cause or non-profit to make a difference. If we all did a little bit of good in our little part of the world, the world would be an infinitely better place. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” - Mother Teresa New York City is the ultimate city for diversity-- and diverse foods! With that said, what's your favorite restaurant within the five boroughs? My favorite is Big Wong in Manhattan's Chinatown (Hong Kong roast meats). I could eat there every day!