Trump's Transportation Secretary Pick Elaine Chao: 5 Things You Should Know

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Wednesday, November 30, 2016

1. Immigrated from Taiwan as a child

Copies of 'Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong', commonly known as the 'Little Red Book', are displayed at a exhibition hall at Jianchuan Museum Cluster in Anren, Sichuan Province, China, May 13, 2016. — Copies of "Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong", commonly known as the "Little Red Book", are displayed at a exhibition hall at Jianchuan Museum Cluster in Anren, Sichuan Province, China, May 13, 2016. | REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Chao was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1953 to Dr. James S. C. Chao and Ruth Mulan Chu, who fled mainland China due to the Communist Revolution.

Elaine Chao and her family immigrated to the United States when she was 8, courtesy a 37-day trip on a cargo ship. When she arrived in the new nation, she did not speak any English.

"Adapting to American life was difficult for the Chao family and third-grader Elaine. They didn't know anyone and had no friends or family to turn to," noted an entry on her official website.

"Every day, Elaine went to school and sat quietly, not understanding anything her teacher or the other students said. When the teacher wrote information on the blackboard, Elaine dutifully copied the strange-looking letters into her notebook."