Meet Son Han
Son Han grew up in Northwest Houston. His parents were Vietnamese refugees. Son didn’t have a bed until he was nine. Only three days after he was born, his mom put him in the back of their van and Son joined his family on the newspaper route. They woke up at 5 am to start delivering the Houston Chronicle. He remembers delivering papers on Christmas Day. There were very few days off. Son delivered papers until he was 15. As a result, he learned the value of hard work at an early age. His parents did not have a lot of money and he didn't have a bed until he was nine.
His favorite memory from growing up was that his family bought memberships to the Houston Zoo and The Houston Museum of Natural Science. His parents would sit by the T-Rex and sleep while Son and his siblings explored. For him, it meant air-conditioning during the hot summers and McDonalds for lunch.
Son went to Jersey Village High School. A fun fact about Jersey Village High School is that two famous alumni include the rapper Paul Wall and Chamillionaire. He did not play sports because his family didn’t have health insurance and they were afraid that he would be injured. After leaving Jersey High School, he went to University Texas at Austin. He credits much of his success today to an excellent public school education. His second grade teacher, Ms. Henry let him sleep in his class every day when she realized that he had a lot happening at home. He also realized that when teachers get to know students that it makes a huge difference. Looking back, he realized that Ms. Henry changed his life.
After high school, Son wondered what to do next. His brother joined the Navy and told Son might not be a good fit for him so he decided to apply for colleges. Although, he did not understand the college application process and were not fully aware of his options. His choices were between Texas A&M and University of Texas at Austin. He selected UT Austin because he was offered several scholarships. He studied Finance and Accounting. At UT, he didn’t always feel as if he belonged to the community because he was surrounded by privileged kids that did not look like him. His mom never went to college but she told him not to party. For Son, college was a stepping stone for a better life because he didn’t have a safety net so failure was not an option. I didn’t have a backstop. I didn’t have a YOLO mindset. He was studying on Saturday nights and volunteering with ESL students. He finished college in three years because of AP courses that he took in high school. Son also earned a master's degree in Accounting from UT.
While in college, Son’s dad lost his job. College was hard because Son was working all the time and he took out student loans to support his family. His mom was so proud that he graduated from college because she never had an opportunity to attend. After college, he went to Ernst and Young, and then found employment in the energy sector. Along the path, he also earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation. He paid off his student loans quickly and once he was debt free, decided to look for mission driven work. He believes that financial freedom has allowed him to play tennis and pursue financial interests. It is not about buying more things, it is about having the time to do the things he loves and it allows him to spend time with this family.
Son started volunteering at KIPP on Saturdays and then was part of launching the Young Professionals Board. He feels most connected when he was volunteering with second graders at KIPP Sharp with all his friends. Every time he left volunteering, he felt more connected with your city. He fell in love with the mission and the organization’s commitment to educational equity. He is now the Deputy Chief of Finance at KIPP Texas Public Schools, where he leads the day to day financial operations. He left for a year to work for Doctors without Borders and to learn Spanish and how to surf in Costa Rica. He remains in Houston because of the diversity. Growing up in Houston, he always appreciated the diversity. His entire family is still here so Houston will remain his home base for the future. Son likes La Tapia for Mexican food and he likes Pho Saigon.
There are lots of very embarrassing moments when you are learning sports at 30. Son didn’t learn how to swim until 30. Son was learning to surf in Waco and the 8 year old surfers are giving him tips and saying that you will “get better sir”. Son spent time in South Sudan. While in Sudan he learned important lessons and met some people that changed his life. In Sudan, he realized that material things don’t matter. Upon returning to the US, he got rid of most of his things and now wears the same blue shirts to work.
Outside of work, Son enjoys working on www.brainymoney.com which is a personal finance website that helps students across the world learn about personal finance. His approach to personal finance is rooted in his experience growing up poor. He believes personal finance is not taught well in schools and he is on a mission to make finance relatable to those who do not come from wealth. He incorporates some of the lessons he learned from his mother. Son’s mom told him to always have a rainy day fund because you never know when a rainy day will come and they will come. Finally, spend less than you earn.He enjoys surfing in Waco, Texas. Every Wednesday and Sunday he plays tennis in the Third Ward of Houston.
