My parents are both Taiwanese, but I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, where they were in the hotel business. Most people in Asia think of the US in terms of the east or west coasts, but I grew up in “suburban Middle America” and have very fond memories of those days. It wasn't all about school, and some of the best times included golfing with my dad on long summer evenings and joining the swim team, where I became a sectional champion and qualified for state championships.
For as long as I can remember, though, I had a passion for the airline industry. It started with collecting model airplanes and checking out as many books as possible on aviation whenever I visited the local library. In fact, I still have all those models in a room at home.
Lin’s passion for the airline industry began with collecting model airplanes and reading books on aviation.
After completing high school at Columbus Academy, I went on to Georgetown University in Washington, DC, majoring in finance and international business with a minor in Japanese, and competing as a member of the varsity swim team.
When you're young, it can be easy to follow the herd. Studying finance, it seemed all my friends and classmates were going for analyst jobs with the major investment banks. Of course, I seriously considered doing the same, but I also explored other opportunities, looking to combine my business studies with my interest in the airline industry. Eventually, I was offered an internship at a leading aviation consultancy and aircraft appraisal firm, Morton Beyer Agnew. I used this as a stepping stone to learn more about the aircraft finance and leasing industry and subsequently came across DVB Bank, a specialised bank in transportation finance offering a graduate trainee scheme for which I applied and was offered a job.