We’re looking forward to introducing you to Elizabeth Tran. Check out our conversation below.
Elizabeth, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Scaling my web design business after following a very traditional path from college to corporate. It was scary to leave that sense of stability, but I’m so grateful I love the work I do and the clients I am able to support!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I run a website design business Digit-Eli and model with Select Models Miami. I also love pageants, sustainability, and public speaking, which inspired me to create trash fashions that have been seen from TLC to TEDx.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Honestly, I did not think I was pretty. I was one of the few Asian kids in my school, and even amongst my family and friends in the Asian American community, I didn’t fit those beauty standards either. I had direct family members telling me to squeeze my nose daily so it was more narrow, wear eyelid tape so my eyes were bigger, and when I didn’t make Top 15 at the Miss Florida Preteen pageant for the third year in a row, my dad said I’d never make the Top 5 in a Florida pageant because I looked “too Chinese.”
Of course I still have my insecurities, but I have really found my confidence through pageants and modeling. My younger self would be shocked to believe she became a working model competing in international pageants. I’ve actually been 1st runner up at 2 international pageants and have represented the USA 5 times! It’s why I’m so passionate now about building beautiful websites for girls and women to know how beautiful they truly are, inside and out.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
My second year competing at Miss Florida USA, I sprained my ankle and snapped two ligaments. I had to crawl to my apartment hallway I was in so much pain. The doctor told me I could not walk for three weeks and I asked the director if I could drop the pageant. But thankfully they recommended me to use a hands-free crutch and I was able to compete.
I was ready to wear my trash fashions as an evening gown for the first time and be my most authentic self. We even bedazzled my crutch with old CDs to match my dress. I was blessed not only to make Top 15, but have a viral TikTok of me in my crutch and “garbage gown” which then lead me to have a TLC reality series with my family and then a TEDx talk.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I hope so! I think it’s hard for even me to pinpoint who I am or “my brand” because I have so many different interests. I love sustainability, pageants, building websites, modeling, Excel spreadsheets, Disney, sun protection, free food, and anything Y2k. I would like to believe I share that in my public life, but maybe it’s only to those who know me on a personal level. When I was working in corporate, I did keep that part of my life more private, but I think that’s also why I have now focused on my entrepreneurial endeavors.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope I could be remembered as a hype woman. Whether I built people a website they can continue to build off of in the future, letting them know all the incredible contributions they bring to the world, or making people smile because of my goofy antics (like being Steve Aoki for Halloween), I hope I can bring joy even when I’m gone as my legacy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://digit-eli.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/misselizabethtran
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-tran/
- Other: teensgogreenglobal.org
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