Dan Lam was born in the Philippines to Vietnamese refugee parents. The small family made their way to Texas when she was just a baby and established in Houston. Later, she and her mother would move to Dallas, TX.

Always one to follow her intuition and passion, she pursued an academic path in the fine arts. Dan obtained her Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of North Texas in the fall of 2010 and went on to a Master's program in Fine Arts at Arizona State University, graduating in the spring of 2014.

Dan has had the honor of being published twice in New American Paintings, first in the MFA Issue no. 111 as Juror’s Pick as well in the West Region Issue No. 120.