Poh Lin’s Story: A Productive and Engaged Career
As an immigrant from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one of nine children in a family of limited means, I was raised with the expectation that we were all responsible for one other.
Growing up, I looked at America as the land of opportunity and promise. At a young age, I learned the value of hard work and cultivated courage to ask for help without fearing rejection. I was the first student from my school who earned the American Field Service award, which allowed me to attend high school in Andover, Massachusetts. My year in America inspired me to find a way to attend college in America.
My marketing and communications skills are a part of my DNA. At a young age, I learned how to make my voice heard, to communicate my intentions with persuasive passion, and how to navigate the complexities of various systems and cultures. In Malaysia I raised my own funds for college.
During my 20+ years in marketing and communications, I have worked for nonprofit and for-profit organizations motivating customers and stakeholders to take action in a variety of creative industries and entrepreneurial environments. As a DEI consultant, I work with organizations to develop and deliver customized awareness-building programs and assessments designed to help organizations move DEI goals from awareness to action.
From mentoring young adults to stay in college, to encouraging an unemployed single mom to achieve self-sufficiency, to walking alongside of an unemployed executive as he navigated next steps, I learned I can be a part of the same kind of support system my parents wanted for me and my siblings years ago. Change can begin with one individual’s simple gesture, but it takes intentional community involvement to connect the many small efforts that sustain social transformation. We can affect and improve so much more for ourselves and our society when we work together.
-Poh Lin Khoo
Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion
University of Minnesota
M.A. Advocacy and Political Leadership, GPA 4.0
Metropolitan State University, Saint Paul
B.A. Journalism with honors
Advertising and Technical Writing, minors
University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire