CLERMONT, Fla. — May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Spectrum News is sharing different stories that celebrate, educate and shine a light on challenges.

In our rural communities, many Asian Americans find it difficult connecting to resources, something as simple as finding a grocery story that supports their culture.

What You Need To Know

  • Clermont woman, Lea Tran, is sharing her story as a Hoa refugee

  • She hopes that by telling her story it will empower others to share theirs

  • Tran talks within the Central Florida community, as well as giving talks worldwide via Zoom

  • She now is sharing her story through her book, I Did Not Miss the Boat.

On the surface, Lea Tran looks like your everyday woman. But most haven’t gone through what she has.

"When I was 12, the communists invaded South Vietnam. So from 12-16, I lived in the communist regime. I have done a lot of things little girls like that shouldn’t be doing," said Tran.

Tran is a Hoa refugee. For her it was about surviving. She escaped communist Vietnam on a boat at the age of 16, not knowing what her future would be.

"We had to escape in the dark of the night and get out to the sea. My boat had 502 people on it. We had no idea how we were gonna survive," said Tran.

The trip itself was dangerous. Once she got to the U.S. she was met with more challenges, language barriers, Western society's cultures and discrimination. But with the challenges came opportunity to provide for her family and start a new one.

"The blind leading the blind. I was the oldest in the family. My family relied on me to help them," said Tran.

But as Tran got older, the corporate world wasn’t fulfilling her needs. She moved to Florida and started telling her story. She put those words on paper, writing her own book.

"My story is resonating not only for the local people that I know, but to people worldwide, especially women," said Tran.

Her book is called I Did Not Miss the Boat. Through the pages she talks about her immigration story, as well as finding her individual identity and rediscovering where she came from. In her Clermont community, the Asian population is pretty small – just over 2% and it's a number that hasn’t changed in over a decade. Still, she wants others to share their stories virtually to her Clermont community.

"It took me 10 years to actually find that I’m walking a little steady on this American soil. For the first 10 years it was really, really tough," said Tran.

Each month Tran meets at Flag Coffee Corner, where she shares a bit about herself. To Tran, it doesn’t matter where you come from. She opens the table, where everyone can share a part of their story.  

"We are human, we’re wired to be a pack. You don’t want to be a loner. You don’t want to feel like you’re isolated. When you share stories you can see that other people are in the same condition," said Tran. 

By connecting with others, she has created a community. Tran’s no longer just surviving anymore, but thriving.