Thi Bui was inducted into the Non-Traditional Careers Category in 2019.
Thi Bui is an award-winning cartoonist and author whose debut graphic memoir honors her family’s immigration journey from war-torn Vietnam to the United States. She is a former school teacher and one of the founders of Oakland International High School, the first public high school in California for recent immigrants and English learners. It took Thi more than 10 years to illustrate her memoir, The Best We Could Do. Before beginning the book, Thi had never drawn a comic in her life. Her professional journey from teacher of underserved students to acclaimed illustrator is an unconventional one that underscores the importance of following our hearts.
