School: Jackson-Reed HS

Grade: Rising 11th Grader

Biography: I’m 17 years old and I have spent over half of my life living all around the world. I was born in Vietnam, but I lived in Japan for a total of 8 years and over a year at the US. I have always been exposed to the cultures around the world. I got to meet a lot of new people and everyday is like a lesson for me. I realized that I love to learn languages and I’m happy when I can make a connection to other people through languages. Growing up, I’ve always been the kid that stands out but I learned to love that special thing about me.

During the time in Japan, I learned to play volleyball and it has been my favorite sport since then. The joy of teamwork and also hard work pays off with victory. Volleyball has taught me to work hard, fight for what I possessed. Also, in the future, I want to be a doctor, a psychiatrist, that I can use my language advantage to help people, to make a connection between Asian cultures with the American cultures.

In Japanese, there’s a term “juunin-toiro,” that means “ten persons ten colors,” so that has made me more confident about myself and my differences.

Program Expectations: I love Japanese culture and I hope after this program I would be able to learn more about the culture and explore more about the connection between Japan and other countries. Also, I hope to see inside companies and meet many people to learn new things everyday.