Congratulations to BreakLiner Ryna Hok, who recently joined Palantir Technologies as a Site Reliability Operations Analyst.

Here is part of Ryna’s story:

“My parents escaped the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia by walking with me and my two siblings across the border to Thailand.

We came to the U.S. as refugees when I was two years old.  

My parents always instilled in us the value of an education. No matter how little time they had, they always found a way to take us to the library and buy books.

They really believed in the American dream, and eventually, they saved enough money to purchase a donut store.

I have many happy family memories from that shop, but my parents always said: go get an education and don’t come back here! I went to college and was the first in my family to go to graduate school.

9/11 happened during my first year of law school at Boston College. I finished law school and pursued a career in foreign policy and national security, eventually working at the CIA. 

When I decided to join the private sector to help bridge technology gaps within the U.S. government, I joined BreakLine Education. It felt great to know Shari Schussel, Zayn Knaub, and the rest of the BreakLine team were in my corner.

When I first interviewed with Palantir, they blew me away. They have a “come as you are” culture, so I knew I could be myself. 

When I got the offer from Palantir, I screamed and ran downstairs to share the news with my wife!

One of my mentors gave me a key piece of advice that I wanted to share with other people transitioning from public service: negotiate your compensation. This is a big issue for people leaving the government. It’s an honor to serve, AND you also deserve to receive market pay for your talent and skills. 

Also, ignore people who say you can’t have an impact outside of the government. There are many worthy problems to solve in our society.

Finally: No community has a monopoly on patriotism, and that is one of America’s greatest strengths. I’m a gay, Asian woman, a naturalized citizen, and married to a European. I love this country. No matter our background, we can all love and serve this country.”