NM WIC Staff Spotlight

Hoa Farnell was born in Saigon Vietnam and moved to the United States with her parents in 1992 with her nine siblings joining the family eight years later in 2000. Soon after arriving in Albuquerque, Hoa enrolled in high school and found work at McDonald’s where she attributes her grasp of the English language. Hoa and her husband have been married 15 years and early in her marriage, they moved to Palo Alto California, Phoenix Arizona then back to New Mexico where she worked as a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, and dental hygienist. A year after her return to New Mexico, Hoa started her WIC career first as a WIC Office Clerk in March 2013 and then Eligibility Interviewer in October 2017. Hoa eventually earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico in May 2021 and is currently working on her graduate degree.

Pre-COVID, Hoa volunteered at the Buddhist Temple cooking for many of the celebrations, translating English for the Vietnamese community, volunteering at shot clinics and teaching Vietnamese. To relieve daily stress and to maintain her positive energy, Hoa will go to the gym during her lunch most days and has even gotten a few of her co-workers to join in the fun. On the weekends, she along with her husband and daughter enjoy hiking in the Sandia’s and biking through the Bosque but her favorite pastime is playing volleyball.

Hoa is the epitome of a team player. Doing was needs to be done and going where she needs to go without hesitation or objection as long as the WIC participant is served. Hoa is the first to organize a potluck to celebrate a birthday or even just to boost morale. She comes to work with a smile and a positive attitude and never takes offense to constructive criticism or an upset participant. Hoa is generous with her WIC knowledge and is always willing to share this with new employees. We feel fortunate to call her a friend so grateful that she is part of the Metro WIC team.