ADMIT it or not, we sometimes entertain ideas about what it would be like to pack our bags and seek fortunes in foreign lands. Most of us, if we don’t make that decision in our 20s, never find the courage to do it at all.
Christina Chelliah was a 30 year old corporate lawyer and former beauty queen (2002 Miss Tourism World Malaysia and first runner-up of the 2002 Miss Universe Malaysia) when she decided to embark on what she called a ‘kamikaze’ mission. With four suitcases and just US$1,500 (RM6,630) in her pocket, she emigrated to the United States and forged her future on sheer grit and tenacity in a city that never sleeps.
On this episode of Beyond Breakfast, this self-confessed hustler shares her journey – from sharing a small room with her brother in New York City whilst hustling for any gig that would sustain herself, to passing the New York Bar and then the Qualifying Lawyer Exams for Admission to the Roll of Solicitors in England and Wales (she is expected to be admitted to the Bar in the UK this summer), making her a triple-qualified attorney admitted on three continents. And in March this year, Christina was sworn in to serve as a Special Master to the Supreme Court of New York.
We ask: is the grass really greener on the other side? Would she have achieved this same level of success had she opted to stay in Malaysia? And – is one ever too old to start over somewhere new? – The Vibes, June 15, 2022
Produced by Shazmin Shamsuddin and sound editing by Ethan Phoon
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