Dedication: To my family and loved ones who have supported me every step of the way.
Growing up, I was always taught that education is a privilege and to have an education is an honor. Having the opportunity to obtain new knowledge every day is a blessing to have as there are hundreds, even thousands, in Vietnam that do not have the privilege to learn on a day-to-day basis. My parents immigrated to the United States when I was only 5 years old to give my older brother and I a better education, to become greater versions of ourselves. Living off of my father’s singular income to support a family of 4 was a challenge that had greatly shaped my childhood. My father, a hardworking individual, did his best to support our family, despite not being able to provide a lavish childhood like many of the kids my age. I was never bothered by the idea of not having materialistic things, I was rather happy I got to spend time with my family doing things within our budget than having busy parents.
Despite these financial challenges, I was determined to succeed, not just academically but also in extracurricular activities. I became the president of many organizations inside and outside of school such as Dubiski’s Architecture Chapter and Boys and Girls Club of Grand Prairie Keystone club. These leadership roles have taught me invaluable lessons in time management, teamwork, and communication. Balancing my responsibilities were definitely a challenge. I found myself sacrificing social events and free time to focus on succeeding in my studies and commitments. These sacrifices had paid off, both academically and financially. I had maintained a high GPA throughout high school and even now in university. I had earned several academic scholarships that helped some of the financial burdens on my family. I had managed to pay for two semesters of my first year in university solely off of scholarships. All of these skills and hard work I had learned while struggling had allowed me to develop valuable skills that would support me in my career and future.
My financial and academics were not the only thing I had to overcome at such a young age. I was constantly bullied for being ‘different’, for being ‘yellow’. I found myself always being placed second after everyone else simply because I was Asian. This only made me work harder to prove to others that I too can work just as hard as anyone else. I had to prove to others that I am capable of succeeding despite my struggles in comprehending the English language at times. I felt like I was in a constant battle with myself and those around me just to prove that I am worthy of being able to succeed. My resilience and hardworking efforts did not go to waste as I proved myself worthy not only in high school but even now in university. My hard work paid off as I made not only my family proud my community as well.
Because my family was and still is financially struggling, I chose to go to college, so my parents are able to live their dream through me. Their dream was to always do what they loved to the best of their abilities and I hope I am able to achieve that through attending college. Not only will I be living their dreams for them, I am also living my own dream. My dream ever since I was a little girl was to do anything that I was always told was impossible for me to achieve. It is not every day that you see an Asian in a predominantly Caucasian career, let alone a female in a male career. In the next 10 years I hope to see myself as a proud Vietnamese licensed Architect. An architect who solely focuses on giving back to her community. An architect who has successfully created shelters, kitchens, and schools with little profit and only focusing on helping those in dire conditions or just needing a place to stay. I hope to make everything that I was told would be impossible become possible to prove not just others around me, but to myself that I can and will succeed.