contemplations by bảo.thiên.ngô thinking about inspiration, creativity, and trust

About bảo

I am Bảo Thiên Ngô, a software developer based in California.

My career history includes leading UI engineering for 4 prior startup companies in Silicon Valley from Seed to Series C in the fintech, medtech, and insurtech spaces, including one backed by Sequoia Capital, and another backed by DFJ. My last role was Director of Engineering for Productfy—a fintech platform founded by my colleague Duy Vo—which was accepted into the Yodlee Incubator as well as 500 Startups.

Within the nonprofit space, I am Secretary to Community Partners Advocate for Little Saigon Sacramento (cPALSs), a community-based organization to improve the lives of people around Little Saigon Sacramento. I served as a board member of the Viet-American Youth Association (VietAYA) based in San Jose. I was a founding member of UVSA Northern California, a coalition of Vietnamese Student Associations, and after years of serving in a jack-of-all-trades fashion, finished my service as its Arts Commissioner (2008–2010).

I enjoy studying wealth management, community building, leadership and organizational studies, the social impact of technology, and, unsurprisingly, Vietnamese and American cultures/histories. Others describe me as knowledgeable, intelligent, brilliant, innovative; helpful, caring, conversable, honest; passionate, dedicated; enduring, calm.

Favorite Quotes

“The grass is greener where you water it.”
—Neil Barringham, Australian mental health trainer and community worker

“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
—Paulo Coelho, Brazilian lyricist and novelist

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
—John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States

“Design that moves others comes from issues that move you.”
—Jennifer Morla, American graphic designer and artist

“So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
—Morrie Schwartz, American educator and author of Tuesdays With Morrie (1997)

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
—Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Swiss-born psychiatrist, pioneer in near-death studies, and author of On Death and Dying (1969)

“Those who sketch timidly achieve nothing at all. Only clear-cut illustration makes any impact. Do you imagine the Peter of Amiens managed to drum up the First Crusade simply by mentioning to a friend, perhaps whilst picking strawberries, that Christ’s grave had fallen into neglect and that one ought to provide a fence around it?”
—Theodor Fontane, German novelist and poet

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
—Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist

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