I
struggled through all this my first year of college,
having entered fresh from high school with no real definition of
“studying.” With matters worse as my mother passed away, I
struggled with my first encounter of death. Then, with no
parents, my older brother, an epileptic, and I were left to
raise a young 14-year old sibling.
With
the death of my mother that spring quarter, though, I
did not drop my classes because school actually kept me
focused onto something other than my problems. I also
felt very responsible in the sense that I had to be a role
model for my younger brother. I had encouraged him to go to
school, so I must also.
Today I look at where I am and compare to where I was a year
ago. I am thankful to have come to such a wonderful school
as Highline. At the time I was attending Highline, every
morning I would take an hour bus ride to school when Green
River Community College was only five minutes away. No
regrets. Despite the struggles, I joined the Vietnamese
Student Association (VSA), Conversation Pal Program and
later on became an Ambassador. My second year of
college, all but three of my courses were Honors designation
and my volunteer work had doubled.
The most relevant experience however, was the Honors Program
at Highline. Through the Honors program I was able to
further discover more about my major and deepen my interest
through the many honors options that connected the subject
with my major. Honors 100 was remarkable. I was given the
opportunity to learn about personal statements and resumes
and better myself through my classmates’ experience in
school and the opportunities they engaged in. Honors
gave me the support to survive the rigorous Gates
application process and to emerge victorious.
Today I stand proud as the secretary for the Vietnamese
Student Association of Washington State, a former math tutor
volunteer, the former president for the Vietnamese Student
Association at HCC, a former Ambassador, a current pharmacy
assistant volunteer and a student who is able to define the
words, "study, determination, experience and future."
