Cindy Fong Lai

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.