>> GROWING UP I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH A LOT
OF HISPANIC STUDENTS, CHINESE, VIETNAMESE,
BUT HARDLY ANY WHITE STUDENTS.
WE WERE AWARE THAT WE WERE DIFFERENT RACE,
BUT IT WAS NEVER A PROBLEM.
SO IT WAS A GOOD ATMOSPHERE TO LEARN ENGLISH
BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS LEARNING ENGLISH.
SO WE ALL KIND OF LEARNED AS A COMMUNITY.
EDUCATION WISE, IT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN THE
BEST SCHOOL OR THE BEST BOOKS, OR THE BEST
TEACHERS, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS A REALLY GOOD
ATMOSPHERE.
I WAS ONE OF THE ONLY KIDS WHO KNEW FLUENT
VIETNAMESE AND FLUENT ENGLISH.
MOST KIDS EITHER LEARNED ENGLISH AND FORGOT
VIETNAMESE OR DIDN'T KNOW ENGLISH WELL ENOUGH.
SO AT SCHOOL THEY WOULD CALL ME OUT OF CLASS
TO GO TRANSLATE SO I THOUGHT IT WAS A TON
OF FUN BECAUSE I'D BE GETTING CALLED OUT OF
CLASS THREE OR FOUR TIME AS WEEK TO TRANSLATE.
IT WAS TO TRANSFER ME TO LEARN BOTH DIFFERENT
TERMS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE I DIDN'T KNOW
BEFORE.
WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE TOYS AND STUFF SO ALL
THE KID WOULD PLAY ON THE JUNGLE GYM FOR HOURS
AFTER SCHOOL.
YOU WOULD SEE KIDS PLAYING IN THE STREETS
ALL THE TIME, PLAYING WITH STICKS; JUST WHATEVER
WE COULD FIND.
I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I WAS POOR.
WE WERE A REALLY BIG COMMUNITY, SO EVERYONE
WAS FRIENDS.
MOST OF OUR PARENTS WERE EITHER WORKING MULTIPLE
JOBS OR WORKING THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.
EVEN THOUGH MY PARENTS DIDN'T GET A HIGH SCHOOL
DEGREE OR ANY EDUCATION IN VIETNAM, MY MOM
WAS REALLY GOOD WITH NUMBERS.
SHE WOULD SIT ME DOWN WHEN EVER SHE HAD FREE
TIME WHEN SHE CAME HOME TO GO OVER MATH HOMEWORK
WITH ME, WHICH WAS GREAT.
MY PARENTS DID OWN A STORE THAT THEY RAN FULL
TIME.
THEY WOULD SLEEP THERE, EVEN, THEY HAD BEDS
THERE.
SO BASICALLY MY BROTHERS RAISED ME.
>> WE HELPED OUT SOME.
SHE WAS A HARD WORKING GIRL.
SHE DID A LOT OF THE STUFF HERSELF.
YOU KNOW, SHE ALSO HELPED OUT A LOT WITH HER
YOUNGER BROTHER ABOUT GETTING HIM TO GO TO
COLLEGE.
>> THAT WAS OUR EVERY DAY LIFE.
THEY WOULD JUST EDUCATE ME AND EVERYTHING.
IT WAS DEFINITELY A CHANGE GOING FROM THE
CRAZY STREETS OF LOS ANGELES TO QUIET SUBURBIA
IN JOHNSON COUNTY.
THERE WEREN'T MANY MINORITIES IN JOHNSON COUNTY,
SO I DEFINITELY FELT THAT DIFFERENCE.
EVERYONE LOOKED AT ME WEIRD OR I WOULD HEAR
THEM SAY THINGS AT SCHOOL BECAUSE I WAS ONE
OF THE FEW ASIAN STUDENTS THERE.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT MY CULTURE WAS SOMETHING
GOOD ABOUT ME SO WHEN I FINALLY CAME HERE
I FELT LIKE PEOPLE COULDN'T SEE PAST ME BEING
ASIAN OR MY CULTURE TO SEE WHO I WAS.
IT'S SOMETHING MY MOM ALWAYS TELL ME ABOUT
EDUCATION IS THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT THEY
NEVER HAD AND SHE JUST WANT ME TO GET A MUCH
OUT 
OF 
IT AS POSSIBLE.
>> [SPEAKING VIETNAMESE]
>> I REALLY DIDN'T EXPECT TO GO TO COLLEGE.
I JUST EXPECTED TO START WORKING AT THE NAIL
SALON PART TIME, EVENTUALLY GET MY NAIL LICENSE,
YOU KNOW, START WORK WITHIN MY FAMILY, AND
ALL THAT.
BUT THEY WERE LIKE NO.
WE WANT YOU TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE.
WE DON'T WANT YOU TOUCHING PEOPLE'S FEET FOR
A LIVING.
WE WANT YOU, UM, TO GET AN EDUCATION AND GET
FURTHER THAN WE HAVE SO THAT YOUR CHILDREN
GET FURTHER THAN YOU HAVE.
I DO FEEL LIKE I'M A BRIDGE BECAUSE MY YOUNGER
BROTHER, HE NEVER THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO
GO TO COLLEGE.
HE ALWAYS THOUGHT HE WAS JUST GOING TO PICK
UP SOME MINIMUM WAGE JOB AND WORK UP TO BE
A MANAGER OR SOMETHING.
AND I WAS DETERMINED TO MAKE HIM GO TO COLLEGE.
HE FINALLY HAS REALIZED THAT EDUCATION IS
FUN SO I'M FINALLY GLAD TO SEE HIM ENJOY EDUCATION
BECAUSE EDUCATION IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD
ENJOY.
AND THEN MY MOM JUST A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN
I TOLD HER I WAS GOING TO BE AN ENGLISH TEACHER
IN ESL, SHE THOUGHT THAT WAS AMAZING.
SHE REALLY WAS INSPIRED, I GUESS, SO SHE STARTED
TAKING NIGHT CLASSES TO LEARN ENGLISH.
SHE CAN ACTUALLY HOLD A CONVERSATION, WHICH
IS NICE NOW.
THE WORST HURDLE FOR ME WHICH IS PROBABLY
NOT AS BAD A HURDLE AS ANY OF THE OTHERS,
I COULD NOT TAKE BEING AWAY FROM MY FAMILY.
I WAS SO HOME SICK.
IT WAS LIKE SO EMPTY WITHOUT HAVING MY FAMILY
THERE BECAUSE WE'VE ALL LIVED TOGETHER, ALL
MY BROTHER AND I, AND MY MOM, SINCE I WAS
11.
I DROVE HOME EVERY WEEKEND, ALMOST.
I WAS USED TO BEING BABIED BY MY BROTHERS.
I DID MY PAPERWORK BY MYSELF AND ALL THAT,
BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THEM THERE TO SUPPORT ME,
WHICH WAS REALLY SCARY.
I WOULD JUST STAY UP AT NIGHT AND THINK DID
I MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE, SHOULD I CALL THEM
AND ASK THEM IF I SHOULD TAKE THIS CLASS OR
NOT, AND THEY THEY JUST THOUGHT IT WAS RIDICULOUS
THAT I COULDN'T MAKE THESE CHOICE BY MYSELF
YET.
IT WAS IT WASN'T UNTIL THE ADVISERS AT THE
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION HELPED ME AND I FINALLY
THOUGHT SO I REALLY CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT.
THAT'S WHEN I START TAKING MORE LIBERTY AND
FREEDOM WITH MY CLASSES AND MY EDUCATION.
AS A KID, I HAD SO MANY PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T
ESL TELL ME I WOULDN'T SUCCEED, I WOULDN'T
LEARN ENGLISH.
I WAS ALREADY READING HARRY POTTER IN SECOND
GRADE AND I LOVED IT.
BUT EVERYBODY THOUGHT BECAUSE I WAS AN ESL
STUDENT AND I WAS IN THESE LOWER CLASSES THAT
I COULDN'T GET INTO THE ADVANCED ENGLISH CLASS.
MY FAMILY HAD TO STEP IN AND SAY NO, SHE SHOULD
BE TAKEN OUT OF ESL FINALLY AND THAT'S WHEN
THEY TESTED ME TO HAVE THEM REALIZE THAT I
HAD POTENTIAL.
SO I THOUGHT THAT AS AN ESL MAJOR I CAN MAKE
THIS CHANGE IN STUDENTS AND IF THEY WEREN'T
DETERMINED TO LEARN I WOULD MAKE THEM DETERMINED
TO LEARN BECAUSE IT'S NOT AN OPPORTUNITY THEY
SHOULD MISS.
