This is the journey from an immigrant to a Google Executive of Mona Weng and how she uses her “differentness” to stand out in the foreign place.
“Why do you dye your hair black?” a classmate asked. In a sea of blonde hair and blue eyes, Mona Weng stood out in elementary school. Born in China, the little girl wished she looked more like her peers.
“I desperately tried to shed my ‘Asian-ness’ to fit in. I refused to speak to my family unless it was in English and felt ashamed when classmates made fun of my ‘weird Chinese lunch,’” says Weng, now an adult.
Today, Mona Weng works at Google, where she serves as Global Lead for Waze for Broadcasters. Waze is a GPS navigation software app owned by the search giant.
What was your childhood like?
I moved to North Dakota at age 2 to join my father, who was pursuing his PhD. We moved more than 15 times throughout America, settling in various towns across Indiana, Massachusetts, New York and California.
The combination of being an only child, the only Asian kid in school, and a frequent mover made me shy, insecure and deathly afraid of being “other.”
When I moved to Cupertino, California in 6th grade, I experienced reverse culture shock. The majority of my class was of Asian descent. My classmates called me a “bad Asian” when I thought the boba in boba milk tea were blueberries. I saw my classmates take pride in their culture and started to reconnect with my own roots.
I filled my world with Chinese-language music and dramas. I called relatives in China to practice my Mandarin. I became obsessed with a popular TV drama at the time called Princess Returning Pearl (還珠格格), watching it 35 times, relying a little less on subtitles each time.
My lost-and-found love for Chinese played a huge role in my identity and prompted me to minor in Chinese, study abroad in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and even work briefly in China.
Did feeling different as a kid affect you later in life ?
One of the beautiful things about growing up is that sometimes what you perceived to be your weakness can actually become your strength. I use my “differentness” to provide a fresh perspective and add value.
As one of the first Asian women at Waze, I was blessed with the opportunity to lead our business development efforts across Asia Pacific. I become Waze’s official Mandarin Chinese voice. This incredible experience was made possible because I embraced being different.
How have your immigrant roots helped you?
Because my family and I believe in the American Dream, we approach everything with the highest standard of grit, determination and work ethic.
How did you start working at Google and Waze?
An old manager of mine had joined Google. He thought I would be a good fit and offered to refer me. Another great friend I had met on the streets of Hangzhou years earlier also put my name in the hat.
After 7 interviews and hiring committee rounds, Google gave me a chance. I’ve been at the company for 6 years and loved every minute of it. I’ve done Sales, Global Marketing and Business Development. I joined Waze 3 years ago, and it’s been an exhilarating ride at Waze speed, Google scale.
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What’s Waze for Broadcasters?
It started with “Carmageddon” in 2011, when Interstate 405 in Los Angeles was shut down for 53 hours for construction. [TV station] ABC-7 reached out to Waze for crowdsourced insights and alternate traffic routes they could offer their audience.
After Carmageddon, Waze realized this program could help more local media partners and the greater driver community. We’re seeing this especially in times of crisis, where broadcast partners are using our data to keep citizens informed of critical closures like the California fires, Hurricane Florence, and the Indonesia earthquakes.
What’s your role?
I lead Waze for Broadcasters globally, which has grown from 50 to 850 partners in 70 countries over the last 3 years. I previously led business development across Asia Pacific. I translated and recorded 2 of Waze’s official Mandarin Chinese voices, 同同 and 小夢, working with our localization team to bring these voices to life in 10 days.
What ‘s the most important thing you’ve learned in your career?
Know your strengths, weaknesses, interests — and see how to maximize your impact.
Run your career like a startup and own it as CEO. Build your own board of directors who can mentor, advise and course-correct. Find people who can give you advice from a mix of functions, industries and experiences.
On my board, I have Google executives, small business owners, peers in finance, law and medicine, mentees (I learn from them just as much as they learn from me), and my grandma.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to not run on the same track as everyone else. It’s okay to be different.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
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