Mary Hor-Lao, the director of software engineering at Abbott Neuromodulation, was honored with the Technologist of the Year Award at the 2023 Women of Color STEM DTX Conference.
Mary's journey from surviving the Khmer Rouge's genocide to becoming a prominent figure in electrical engineering is an extraordinary tale of resilience and determination.
She has received recognition from IEEE Women in Engineering and is actively involved in STEM mentorship circles and philanthropic efforts to support children in her native Cambodia.
Despite facing unimaginable hardships and navigating a male-dominated field, she has achieved incredible success.
Mary has made significant contributions to her field, including at Abbott Laboratories, a healthcare and medical device company headquartered in Illinois.
Her breakthrough technologies have transformed the lives of patients with chronic pain and movement disorders.
Mary led the development of the world's smallest rechargeable implantable pulse generator and spearheaded the creation of an award-winning Virtual Clinic.
Additionally, Mary is an advocate for aspiring technologists and is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion.
The WOC STEM conference is organized under the theme "Waves of Change, Oceans of Opportunity," bringing together STEM leaders from various sectors to recognize and provide networking opportunities for career growth.
Explore more remarkable stories of award-winning Women of Color STEM Conference recipients with immigrant backgrounds.
Fluent in both Spanish and English, Ana Lucia Ochoa Lorenzini has built trust and respect with individuals from various cultures.
Margarita "Maggie" Dominguez was honored as the Women of Color Technologist of the Year in 2000. She is originally from Havana, Cuba, and her parents immigrated to Tampa in the '60s.
Chon-Yin Tsai received a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics from Chung-Hsing University, which is one of four universities in the Taiwan Comprehensive University System. After moving to the United States, she obtained a master's degree in applied mathematics from Brown University and later earned a Ph.D. in Aeronautics & Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
In 1979, Mylan To, along with her family and over 400 other Vietnamese refugees, attempted to escape war-torn Vietnam. After being attacked by pirates, they were left stranded at sea. Eventually, they were rescued by the crew of USS Robert E. Peary (FF-1073). Mylan received asylum in the United States and settled in San Diego with her family. Since 1987, she has worked at the Department of Defense and has gained extensive leadership and career experience.
Duy-Loan is also proud of her Vietnamese heritage and grateful for the United States. Le was the first Asian-American woman elected senior fellow at Texas Instruments (TI).
Mei Cai was honored as the Technologist of the Year at the 2021 WOC STEM Conference for her excellent contributions in STEM. Mei's story is inspiring, having come to the United States nearly 30 years ago as a spouse. She had to learn English and prepare for graduate school testing.
A child of Egyptian immigrants, Gihan Oraby was raised with a duty to serve her community. Gihan won the Community Service Award at the 2018 Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference.
