The following was written by Katie Deng, a finalist for the 2019 SuretyBonds.com Small Business Scholarship, to accompany her video submission.

Heaven Dragon is my parents’ Chinese restaurant that I’ve grown up with. As a child, I used to detest our business because it meant that most of my parents’ attention went towards it. Now that I’ve grown up and experienced what it’s like to have a job and priorities, I better understand my parents’ actions. In fact, as I reflect back now, our restaurant has helped shaped many aspects of my life. When I was younger, I would go to the restaurant just to get sneak peeks of what my parents were doing outside of home. It turns out that they spent a lot of time preparing the restaurant for business the next day. Having them as my role models allowed me to develop the same work ethic and determination that they have. More recently, I’ve realized that our business acts as a cultural center for me, and it’s where I’m able to understand my Chinese heritage. Lastly, the interactions I’ve seen at the restaurant has shown me the role businesses and customers have within a community. Heaven Dragon has not only impacted my past, my present but also my future of hoping to start my own business one day.

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