cdang

Many children of immigrants grow up conscious of the enormous sacrifices that their parents have made and spend the rest of their lives proving to their parents that the suffering was not in vain. Although it was frustrating at times, I think overall it benefited me to be raised in this way. My family background has affected the way I see the world, due to the fact I have learned that nothing is given to you. My parents came to this country with nothing in their pockets. Over 25 years later, they have successfully built a life for themselves. But they didn’t get this far in life because they sat around waiting for something to come to them. I have encountered many hardships as a child immigrating to America from Vietnam. I was able to turn my adversity into an opportunity for STEM development. My STEM studies continue to be an essential aspect of my everyday life. Over the past year, I have connected with various schools in my community. I have organized numerous workshops around the community, helping elementary schools build and design new STEM programs. The long term goal of my program is to increase the awareness of the many different possibilities that STEM can offer and inspire interest among the youth. During the following year, I led more students in my high school to take on the task of educating and helping more than fifty girls in STEM. I have taken part in jump-starting STEM kits for students in Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. Coaching young students gives me the opportunity to help them discover their potential. I hope to use my degree in Computer Science to increase awareness of the many different possibilities that STEM can offer and inspire interest in the future of our potential youth.