AGE: 31

FAVORITE BOOK: The “Harry Potter” series, by J.K. Rowling and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

GUILTY PLEASURE: Ice cream from Coldstone

Immigrant stories can make us all warm and fuzzy, but Mike Chea’s does a little more than that. He spent his childhood in refugee camps in Cambodia and the Philippines, coming to the United States at the age of 12 with his mother to seek a new life. And he has found it.

With no English skills and needing help to ease into life in Rhode Island, Chea and his mother turned to the International Institute of Rhode Island. Chea learned the language and took to his education – graduating from Central Falls High School, then attending the Community College of Rhode Island and the University of Rhode Island. And in 1995, he joined the IIRI as a student intern.

Working his way up through the for-profit arm of the IIRI, the Interpreting and Translating Department, Chea became director two years ago. Since then, the business has seen revenue growth of 45 percent, as well as a doubling of net profit, after four years of stagnant revenue and profits. Chea manages a budget of $3.2 million and 63 employees, as well as 200 contract interpreters and translators, serving 6,000 individual and corporate clients.

For his part, Chea is fluent in Cambodian (Khmer) and has been interpreting and translating for 11 years. He is a member of national professional organizations and has undergone substantial special training for both translation and interpretation, as well as management. But it is his personal journey that is the most striking part of his background.

He survived witnessing his father’s murder in a Thai refugee camp. He survived continued deprivations and illness. He survived questioning about his relationship with his mother by immigration authorities. But that changed when he came to the United States. Chea points to his high school social studies teacher as the most influential person.

“She taught me to think outside the box and gave me confidence to explore and pursue my dreams,” he said in his 40 Under Forty application. And now, through his work, he is helping to bring that gift to Rhode Island’s next generation of immigrants.