Thuy Nguyễn Lâm

Thuy Nguyễn Lâm, 41, born in Biên Hòa, came to San Jose with her parents in 1988 when she was three. Her father had been a Republic of Vietnam Air Force mechanic and got reclassified, in America, as a refrigeration technician at a meatpacking plant. She grew up handing him tools in the garage on Saturdays. Did two years at De Anza in nursing because her mother insisted, hated it, dropped out, took a Sheet Metal Workers Local 104 apprenticeship at 22 and finished in 2009. Has been a journey-level HVAC service tech for sixteen years, the last seven as the lead commercial tech at Bayside Mechanical, a 35-person shop in Hayward that handles a lot of biotech buildings down the 880 corridor. Specializes in chiller diagnostics — Carrier 19XR centrifugals, Trane CenTraVacs — and is one of three women in her local who's climbed to lead. Drives a company van, a 2021 Transit, but her personal vehicle is a 2009 Civic she's rebuilt twice. Fluke 902 clamp meter on her hip, Klein 11055 strippers in her thigh pocket, Knipex pliers wrenches, and a Yellow Jacket manifold she's had since 2011 that she would marry if she could. Single mother of one, daughter Linh, age 11, who already knows how to read a P&ID. Doesn't go to church, doesn't miss it. Reads sci-fi paperbacks on lunch break. Hates the BACnet trade press for pretending controls people understand mechanical systems. Considers the rooftop package unit the most miserable, beautiful, doomed piece of equipment in the trade.