NV2 Monday, June 18, 2007 By Jami Farkas
) ASPIRATION: Nancy Nguyễn, above, is heading to Cambridge, Mass., where she will enroll at Harvard this fall to study what fascinates her: the brain. ) Photos courtesy of Nancy Nguyễn and Getty Images. |
They live from coast to coast. Like Lai Nguyễn, valedictorian of Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville, N.C., who had two siblings precede her in this young millennium as the No. 1 student at the same school.
Or three top graduates from the Lone Star state: Ngân Nguyễn, who plans to study electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin; Huy Nguyễn, headed to Texas A& M University to major in civil engineering; and Alex Nguyễn, an aspiring doctor who will pursue a biomechanical engineering degree.
Then, there are the two young women in Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia: Tường-Vy Nguyễn Ngô, headed to the University of Georgia, and Cathy Vũ, off to Princeton. And in Boston Public Schools, five campuses recognized Vietnamese Americans as their leading students.
They are just a few among a slew of valedictorians, salutatorians and winners of prestigious scholarships who this spring leave 12th grade, flourishing toward the future.
The more I pondered their achievements, the more overwhelmed I became. Next year, my son will graduate, and despite lofty grades and even higher ambitions, he has no idea where he wants to attend college, no personal map. I knew some of these young achievers could help me out. I asked two of them to share some of their secrets of success and give some advice not only to the Class of 2008 but to the Class of 2011, those entering 9th grade after this summer.
Nancy Nguyễn graduates on Tuesday from La Quinta High in Westminster, Calif., and will pack her belongings for Harvard University this fall. As a winner of the Gates Millennium Scholarship, she will attend one of the nation’s premier institutions and graduate school for free for up to 10 years.
Her first piece of advice? Don’t worry if you don’t have your major wrapped up by the time you go to college.
“This week, I decided on neurobiology, but that’s as of this week,” said Nancy, 18, crowned with a 4.26 grade-point average.
Even though the specific major could change in a matter of days, the general subject of study — something that leads to medicine — likely won’t. As that’s her next piece of advice: Work to find your passion.
Nancy said she knew in 10th grade, when taking Advanced Placement biology, just what her calling would be: connecting to the human body. She has found the focus, her ideal, on the brain.
“I find the brain so fascinating,” she said. “I know that the heart is the most important body part, but I feel the brain ... is more fascinating than the heart.”
Nguyễn not only found her passion in the human body but in music, specifically the flute and the school band.
Her older sister, Vicky Đoan Nguyễn, also attended La Quinta, so she wasn’t concerned about transitioning to high school or not figuring out where the cafeteria was. She was more worried about finding her place ? advice she gives to today’s incoming freshmen.
“When you’re a freshman, since your workload isn’t as heavy as say a junior, that’s the time you should try everything out,” she said. “Do it with supportive friends. Go out there and find your niche.
“Sure, there might be a chance of failure and rejection...I have a great big fear of fail and rejection. It happens.”
That means joining clubs. Getting involved in activities you’ve never tried before. Be open to courses you’ve never taken and are a bit nervous about. And when you discover what is for you, go after it with gusto.
“Everyone has something they’re good at,” Nancy said. “When you find it, take it. A the end of the day, it’s those who study more or run more or practice more who get the job done.”
Johnny Thanh Nguyễn doesn’t disagree. The Midway City, Calif., resident will be La Quinta’s salutatorian in Tuesday’s ceremonies.
But, he said, it’s important to remember that high school also is a time for fun, for discovering a little bit about yourself. Take time to savor it.
“Find out what you’re interested in and don’t worry too much. Everyone is too panicked and rushed too much,” said Johnny, 17, who has 4.32 grade-point average. “Smell the roses.”
Outside of school, he took part in boxing and wrestling. He founded the Technology Club, read and socialized.
“You need both,” said Johnny, who will study robotics at the University of California, Los Angeles “Otherwise, you’re not well-rounded. Focus more on being well-rounded.”
That’s great advice for the Class of 2011, but I thought again about my predicament. Catalogs from colleges — the famous schools as well as those I’ve never heard of — are stuffing the mailbox. My son said he’ll look at them this summer. He’s also promised to clean his closet. Yeah, right.
So I asked Johnny and Nancy, is it too late for him and for other procrastinators in the Class of 2008? What should we know heading in to my son’s senior year?
The best tips they had for me? Don’t get caught up in big names.
Sure, Nancy is going to Harvard — one of the biggest names at all. But she chose it because it offers a top-flight program in her field.
“Focus on more than just reputation in terms of college,” Johnny said, adding he was sold on UCLA because of the location and the culture of the City of Angels. “A lot of people just go to college because of the name of the college.”
And from Nancy, she said that while visiting campuses this summer isn’t all that necessary, planning for the college application essay is. It isn’t too early to start jotting down notes about what’s important in your life, then merging them into a rough draft that will help when you need to write your compositions for real.
“Be truthful. The readers do know the difference between something from your heart, something that is meaningful and significant over something you just wrote the night before,” she said.
I turned to Johnny and Nancy for answers, but I realized they are still growing and changing and have questions themselves. They’ll turn to trusted friends and older siblings as they head for a new challenge.
Nancy admitted to some jitters.
“I’m going to be a little more nervous the first day of Harvard than the first day of high school,” she said. “And the little is going to be massive.”
As for Johnny?
“You have to fear what you don’t know,” he said. “I have a lot of fears. I don’t know much about college.”