The New Faces of Westchester: Fabiana Chiu

Fabiana Chiu, Peru

“I grew up under two military dictatorships and years of some of the bloodiest terrorism ever witnessed in the Americas,” says Fabiana Chiu, who left Lima, Peru, at age 21 to attend college in Richmond, Kentucky, after her parents “scraped, borrowed, and mortgaged” to get her here. She now lives in Yorktown with her husband and two children, and commutes to New York City where she is a program officer at the New York State Council on the Arts. 

My Story: “I came to the US with $200 in my pocket, two suitcases, and a student visa. In Kentucky, I was one of two students from Latin America on a small campus.  I was forced to speak English from the get-go. Immersion is always the best method, albeit painful. I learned from Beatles songs, listening to commercials, and my ESL teachers. The isolation was crushing. I used to request junk mail through magazine order forms so that I could get something—anything—in the mailbox. It made me feel less alone. To this day, sales circulars are most welcomed at my house. I now work in New York City helping evaluate and administer grants to arts organizations throughout the state. My husband and I also run an online site called The (Greater) Croton Songbook as a community service, collecting and sharing songs written in and inspired by the Croton area.”

My advice to new immigrants: “Talk about your dreams, constantly. You never know who can help you realize them. When you see an opportunity, take it. Learn from your mistakes. In the US, you get the opportunity to make lots of mistakes, these are lessons in humility. Humility can be a good thing. And more importantly, be helpful, pay it forward.”

Unveiled: A Boutique Bridal Brunch is February 23!

Our Best of Westchester Readers' Ballot is open through January 15!

Our Women in Business Awards event is November 21!

Our Best of Business event is October 30!

Our CEOs & Business Leaders Golf Outing is August 5!

Our Best of Westchester Party is July 24!

Our Westchester Home Design Awards event is June 26!

Our Wine & Food Festival returns June 4-9!

Our Wunderkinds event takes place on May 23!

Our Best of Business Ballot is open through May 15!

Our Healthcare Heroes Awards event takes place on May 9!

Our Westchester Home Builders Awards take place on April 4!

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Forum is March 14!

Holiday flash sale ... subscribe and save 50%

Limited time offer. New subscribers only.