What have you read lately that inspires you? I ask this as all
too often the headlines we read in most media are either negative or detail some
tragedy nearby or in someplace far away.
The focus is on how people suffer. I am not advocating for news that
leaves out these things, but I am often depressed after reading about all that
is wrong with the world.
One topic that is getting a lot of press lately are the struggles
low income students have when they go off to school. The NY Times and The Chronicle of Higher Ed have recently posted stories on student that not had an easy transition.
It is easy to understand why, given that they are often at a disadvantage in
terms of world exposure and access to things like test prep and other
support.
Even while what I have written is accurate, there have been some stories of students recently who have been admitted to the top schools in the
US who come from modest means and an immigrant background. One story
underscores a group of immigrants who have been accepted to many of the top schools
in the US.
What follows is a student who has a similar background and has
also taken the time to tell his story. His journey from a small village to
having a place at MIT is heart warming and inspirational. It should leave you with a smile, even if
thee are dark things in the world too.
*****************************************************************************************
Coming from a family in which “Ivy League” drew confused and
lost looks, I was very humbled to have been accepted to Harvard, Yale,
Columbia, and MIT. Here’s my story.
My name is Long Nguyen, and I was an immigrant to the United States in 2004 at the age of seven. I come from a village in central Vietnam, an isolated village twenty miles away from the nearest city, Quang Tri. As a child, the things I knew were limited―all I saw was inability in my village. The people of my village are farmers, not scholars. My cousins and I had to bike over five miles a day to commute to school. Education itself was not free. None of us had ever made it past high school: as members of the village, we were expected to set farming as our priority once we reached “working age”. We had no other practical ways of living, given that we had suffered extensively from the oppression of the Vietnam War. Now… how did I end up making my way to the States from this background?
My paternal grandpa and my uncle’s family had themselves immigrated in 1995 to San Jose, California (where the highest amount of Vietnamese-Americans can be found in the world exclusive of Vietnam). I’m not familiar with immigration policies, but sometime in 2004, my parents told me that we would be going away. Seven-year-old me really did not know that there was a world beyond my village, let alone another country. I landed in SFO on July 21st, 2004, and so began my journey. I tried to fit in, but it wasn’t until 4 months and thousands of vocabulary repetitions that I was able to familiarize myself with English. I’ve now lived in San Jose for over ten years, and let me tell you, the Silicon Valley really is something else―if you’d told me that my life was headed in this direction, I wouldn’t have believed you.
Let’s skip to my junior year of high school. I was highly involved and was the president of the largest community service organization at my school, International Action. You can imagine why I chose to commit myself to this―it was because I saw the people I aimed to help in the mirror. This was one of the most important things. Do something that relates to you, something that sparks a long-lasting passion in you. Through International Action, I made connections, both academically and intellectually. I have no intention of giving up this love for public service. It's the least I can do for my community.
On the side, I was extremely fascinated by biology and computers. My father and I were obviously novices, to say the least, given our backgrounds. I placed my faith more in biology. Through my chemistry teacher, I was able to land two research internships consecutively at Stanford University. The first was done the summer after my sophomore year at the School of Earth Sciences, the second the summer after my junior year at the School of Medicine. Again, I felt blessed to have these opportunities. I met wonderful mentors and wonderful friends.
Then the college process of my senior year came around. My AP classes, my years in badminton and track & field, my leadership involvement… were these enough to warrant me a spot at the world’s top universities, where I could continue to foster my strengths? It was a dream. A dream. My parents and relatives knew not what “Ivy League” meant, only that I should chase my dreams no matter what I had to do. I’ll spare the details of the process, but I was ultimately rejected by Stanford, Princeton, and UPenn. On the other hand, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Harvard, Yale, MIT, and Columbia took me, full rides provided.
I’ll be attending MIT as a freshman in the fall―were you expecting an Ivy? I apologize! The choice was mine. To have come this far from where I once stood really brings humility to me. I’ve done so much, but I realize that what I’ve done pales in comparison to what I can continue to do. I feel that for me, the most significant thing was how I was able to overcome my family’s cycle of poverty.
I’ll leave this with a few points:
My name is Long Nguyen, and I was an immigrant to the United States in 2004 at the age of seven. I come from a village in central Vietnam, an isolated village twenty miles away from the nearest city, Quang Tri. As a child, the things I knew were limited―all I saw was inability in my village. The people of my village are farmers, not scholars. My cousins and I had to bike over five miles a day to commute to school. Education itself was not free. None of us had ever made it past high school: as members of the village, we were expected to set farming as our priority once we reached “working age”. We had no other practical ways of living, given that we had suffered extensively from the oppression of the Vietnam War. Now… how did I end up making my way to the States from this background?
My paternal grandpa and my uncle’s family had themselves immigrated in 1995 to San Jose, California (where the highest amount of Vietnamese-Americans can be found in the world exclusive of Vietnam). I’m not familiar with immigration policies, but sometime in 2004, my parents told me that we would be going away. Seven-year-old me really did not know that there was a world beyond my village, let alone another country. I landed in SFO on July 21st, 2004, and so began my journey. I tried to fit in, but it wasn’t until 4 months and thousands of vocabulary repetitions that I was able to familiarize myself with English. I’ve now lived in San Jose for over ten years, and let me tell you, the Silicon Valley really is something else―if you’d told me that my life was headed in this direction, I wouldn’t have believed you.
Let’s skip to my junior year of high school. I was highly involved and was the president of the largest community service organization at my school, International Action. You can imagine why I chose to commit myself to this―it was because I saw the people I aimed to help in the mirror. This was one of the most important things. Do something that relates to you, something that sparks a long-lasting passion in you. Through International Action, I made connections, both academically and intellectually. I have no intention of giving up this love for public service. It's the least I can do for my community.
On the side, I was extremely fascinated by biology and computers. My father and I were obviously novices, to say the least, given our backgrounds. I placed my faith more in biology. Through my chemistry teacher, I was able to land two research internships consecutively at Stanford University. The first was done the summer after my sophomore year at the School of Earth Sciences, the second the summer after my junior year at the School of Medicine. Again, I felt blessed to have these opportunities. I met wonderful mentors and wonderful friends.
Then the college process of my senior year came around. My AP classes, my years in badminton and track & field, my leadership involvement… were these enough to warrant me a spot at the world’s top universities, where I could continue to foster my strengths? It was a dream. A dream. My parents and relatives knew not what “Ivy League” meant, only that I should chase my dreams no matter what I had to do. I’ll spare the details of the process, but I was ultimately rejected by Stanford, Princeton, and UPenn. On the other hand, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Harvard, Yale, MIT, and Columbia took me, full rides provided.
I’ll be attending MIT as a freshman in the fall―were you expecting an Ivy? I apologize! The choice was mine. To have come this far from where I once stood really brings humility to me. I’ve done so much, but I realize that what I’ve done pales in comparison to what I can continue to do. I feel that for me, the most significant thing was how I was able to overcome my family’s cycle of poverty.
I’ll leave this with a few points:
1. Do what you love.
2. Know how to tell a story.
3. Make connections.
4. Never forget your upbringing.
“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.”
― Albus Dumbledore
I would like to thank Long Nguyen for letting me post his words
here. He first posted his story on the website quora.com in response to the
question:
How did you get in? What's it like? Tell us everything!
Long Nguyen's attitude toward learning and toward the world predicts
success not just in the classroom but in his career and in life too. His advice : "Do something that relates to you, something that sparks a long-lasting passion in you." is worth repeating. He found a way to become a leader and a student who helps others too. He also knew that finding mentors and internships would develop his skills and expand his horizons. His 4 points are simple yet profound. They echo what many of the most successful people in a variety of endeavors have found to be true in their own lives. More students should try to follow his advice, whatever background they come from. They may not get into the same schools, but they will have experiences and skills that will help them in ways that are more important than the name of the school attended.
I think we
will be hearing more good news from him in the future!
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