Team
团队The Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Pageant and Leadership Training Program, proudly sponsored by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, would like to extend special recognition to several dedicated individuals for their hard work and commitment.
Christina Wu
pageant chair
Christina has always been passionate about blending business with creative expression. Her diverse career spans Fortune 100 companies, the Hollywood entertainment industry, Silicon Valley startups, and educational institutions. She has worked at renowned organizations such as The Wall Street Journal, Lifetime Television, KUSC Public Radio, and more. With extensive experience in communications, sales, PR, and marketing, Christina brings a wealth of expertise to her work.
She is also highly skilled in event planning, having coordinated, led, and performed in over 400 events, including community banquets, conferences, fundraisers, receptions, dance performances, festivals, music concerts, fashion shows, and golf tournaments. These events have ranged from intimate gatherings of 20 to large-scale productions with up to 3,500 attendees.
A lifelong dancer, Christina began dancing at a young age, training in a variety of styles, including traditional Chinese dance, ballet, lyrical, modern, jazz, heels, hip-hop, and K-pop. She has performed at prominent venues such as Disneyland, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the Hollywood Bowl, MGM Grand Las Vegas, Knott’s Berry Farm, and the Rose Parade.
After becoming a mother, Christina redirected her efforts toward educating Chinese culture and language. Having taught her children Mandarin for many years, she later began teaching others by using techniques such as storytelling, visual imagery, and introducing 'worldbuilding' concepts into her lessons.
Christina holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS from the University of Southern California. A former Miss Los Angeles Chinatown - Queen, she also won Miss Photogenic. Currently, Christina serves as the Pageant Chair for the 2025 Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Pageant.
Cindy Fong Lai
TRAINING DIRECTOR
Cindy was born and raised in Los Angeles. She has many fond memories growing up near Chinatown where she would make weekly family trips to the markets and restaurants there. Businesses and streets were crowded and bustling which gave Chinatown its own vibrant energy.
Later in her teen years, Cindy moved to Orange County to attend the University of California, Irvine where she earned a B.A. in Social Ecology with a Specialization in Criminal Justice & Legal Studies. Cindy also served as Director of College Legal Clinic at UCI and managed all operations of providing free legal consultation to faculty and students. She also interned at a law firm and private investigation company, but ultimately turned her attention to Human Resources & Personnel Management. As an Unemployment Insurance Administrator investigating and contesting unemployment claims, Cindy had a 93% win ratio resulting in significant tax savings for her clients.
In the spirit of giving back to her alma mater and reinforcing the power of higher education, Cindy and her husband, Greg, started a scholarship endowment for business students at UCI. They are proud to support exceptional students with the opportunity to overcome financial insecurities and step into their potential as academic leaders.
Currently, Cindy is enjoying family time with her husband, 2 daughters, and their elderly dog. She is also a tennis enthusiast and plays competitively on 2 teams, one of which she captains. Cindy is also a big supporter of the Michael & Amber Chang Foundation. She is in a unique position to not only be a player participant in the annual charity tennis tournament, but also as an event sponsor and planning committee volunteer for several years.
Cindy is looking forward to making the upcoming rehearsals and pageant experience immensely enriching and memorable for the contestants. She was both Miss Photogenic and Miss LA Chinatown Queen in 1994.
Ashley Thompson
co-pageant director
Ashley Thompson has a rich and diverse heritage that she proudly embraces. Her mother immigrated from Hong Kong to the United States as an infant, and her father has both Caucasian and Hispanic backgrounds. Ashley grew up in Los Angeles’ Chinatown, where she was deeply connected to her cultural roots and immersed in her Chinese heritage. She attended Castelar Elementary School and spent countless hours at the local Alpine Recreation Center, where she played basketball, learned classical piano, and enjoyed time with friends. Ashley was fortunate to work at both Alpine and Castelar, allowing her to give back to the very community that raised her, all while balancing her college studies.
Today, Ashley brings her expertise to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, working as a Building Mechanical Inspector. She applies her extensive knowledge of codes to residential construction projects throughout Los Angeles, ensuring safety and quality for the city’s residents.
A proud wife and mother to her son, Ashley’s passion for community engagement extends well beyond her professional life. She believes in the importance of remembering one’s roots and always giving back. Ashley began volunteering at age 13 at Alpine Rec Center, working with the youth in the summer camp program. She remains active in several volunteer initiatives in Chinatown. She currently serves as a board member for Precision Health Center, an accessible and affordable health clinic. She is also on the planning committee for the LA Firecracker Run, a distinguished event promoting health, community, and culture through its run/walk/bike activities.
In 2019, Ashley was crowned Miss Los Angeles Chinatown 3rd Princess, following in the footsteps of her aunt, who earned the same title in 1996. This experience connected her with an inspiring sisterhood of like-minded women, and she hopes to encourage other young women to join the MLAC community and make a positive impact in the LA Chinatown that has shaped her.
Angela Lai
DANCE DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER
Ms. Lai has dedicated much of her life to teaching, educating, and promoting Chinese culture through the art of Chinese dance. Her passion and dedication have inspired generations, preserving the beauty and significance of this traditional art form while fostering a deeper appreciation for Chinese heritage both within and beyond the community.
Ms. Lai's journey in Chinese classical dance began when she launched her teaching career at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. Her students have performed at prestigious venues and events, including the Olympic Games in Mexico, World Expo in Japan, Disneyland, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Hollywood Bowl, MGM Grand Las Vegas, Tournament of Roses Parade, Dolby Theatre, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Olympic Relay. They have also received multiple invitations from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office to perform at Double Ten National Day celebrations.
Ms. Lai is a distinguished leader in the arts and business communities, currently serving as the President of the American Chinese Dance Association, a role she has held in various capacities since 1996. She also serves as the Vice President of the Chinese Culture University of Southern California Alumni Association. In addition, Ms. Lai has held leadership roles in several organizations, including as a board member of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Southern California and as Vice Chair of the Performing Arts Foundation. She also served as the Secretary General and Event Chair of the Global Federation of Chinese Business Women for the Southern California Chapter.
Ms. Lai has served as a judge and advisor for numerous esteemed competitions, including the American Chinese Dance Association’s annual Dance Competition, the Performing Arts Foundation’s Asian American Scholarship Award Competition, the Miss Taiwanese American Pageant, and the Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Pageant.
Tina Shih
pageant advisor
Miss Tina Shih is the owner of Tina Modeling since 2005. She is one of the top etiquette instructors, beauty pageant trainers, and modeling coaches in Los Angeles. She was born in Taiwan, where she was introduced to the world of fashion and elegance as a youth model. In 1988, Tina immigrated to Los Angeles and became the director and principal of a private elementary school for 10 years. Through her work and social experience from life, Tina recognized the importance of social etiquettes to our globalizing society.
Every aspect of life is involved in social interactions and the understanding of those unspoken rules is the secret to achieving success. With this understanding and her background as an educator and a former model, Tina began to dedicate her time to educating students in modeling and social graces.
Over the years, Tina has established Tina Modeling, House of Etiquette into one of the most prestigious and effective schools not only in Southern California, but also across Asia. With her professional knowledge and teaching skills, Tina has taught etiquettes to men, women, and children of all ages, given lectures and training courses throughout the community through Radio and TV interviews, hosted and choreographed multiple fashion shows, and personally trained yearly Queen-titled leaders in the Southern California and Asia. Because of her devotion．She has also earned the title of “Beauty Ambassador”.
Saerlaith Anying Dunn
miss los angeles chinatown - queen/communication director
Saerlaith Anying Dunn first got involved with the CCCLA at the age of 5 when she was crowned Little Queen at the 2006 Little King & Queen Contest. She attended San Marino High School where she participated in extra curriculars such as musical theater, speech and debate mock trial. She then continued those extra curriculars at St. Joseph’s University in Brooklyn where and majored in Political Science.
She enjoys spending her free time learning more about and advocating for the Chinese community, and is an active member of her local Chinese Club as well as MANAA. She is also a passionate animal rights advocate and a decade-long volunteer for Zooh Corner Rabbit Rescue. She was awarded her Girl Scout Gold Award for producing a workbook educating new rabbit owners about rabbit care.
Saerlaith has strong roots in Chinatown as her grandmother, Ngoot Chan, got her first job in America at Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown. Phoenix Bakery later sponsored her mother when she ran & won at the 1982 Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Pageant. Her reign has been a transformative experience that has taught her many lessons about leadership, friendship, teamwork and most of all resilience. A quote she lives by is, "Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History".