Immigrating to the United States from China has not always been an easy experience for Yang, a senior data visualization analyst for Tyson Foods. In fact, she describes the experience at times as “painful.”  

Yang was born and raised in China and worked as an architect in Beijing. But her parents always encouraged her to pursue a future in the United States.   

“One day you’re going to be studying in America. Check out what the U.S. has to offer for your life experience,” they told her. 

That goal came to life for Yang, who now holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Texas Tech University. 

But the pain, she says, grew out of a lack of opportunity she not only noticed for herself, but for the Asian community as a whole when she landed in Arkansas. There simply wasn’t a platform for them. 

So, her husband encouraged her to turn that struggle into something positive. Four years ago, she founded the nonprofit Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses. 

“There was an opportunity for me to step up and help our community,” she said.  

The Association “aims to serve the Arkansan-Asian business community by supporting professional growth, providing assistance to Arkansas companies looking to explore Asian markets, and to be an overall advocate for entrepreneurship that is related to Arkansas and Asia.” 

Her efforts have long been supported by Tyson Foods. 

“Tyson supports my journey, and they see it as an asset,” she said.  

Recently, Yang participated in the podcast, “Advancing ALL Women” hosted by Sarah Alter of the Network of Executive Women, where she tells this story. Listen here for more, and find out about all the ways Tyson Foods champions diversity among our team members here.