Finding Her Roots

Last summer, Thuy Nguyen and teammate Thu-Hang Tran-Peou (Mather Elementary School – Dorchester, MA) used a $10,000 Fund for Teachers grant to navigate across Vietnam’s three regions—Ha Noi in the North, Hoi An and Hue in the Central, and Ho Chi Minh City in the South — to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Saigon’s fall. The inspiration behind this fellowship was to enrich Boston Public School’s only Vietnamese Dual Language Program by bridging generational gaps, celebrating linguistic diversity, and empowering students to honor their heritage while excelling in a multilingual academic community. Along the way, Thuy was inspired to reflect on her learning (and life) and enter the “Who Am I” essay contest for the Vietnamese Heritage Museum. We were so honored that Thuy chose to reach out and share both her accomplishment, and her winning essay:

“When I embarked and settled home from the amazing trip to Vietnam this past summer, I felt immense gratitude and indebtedness to pay this forward to benefit students and community stakeholders. The trip for me was about discovering and learning more about my family’s heritage and so much more. During a break, I took some time to write and enter myself into the “Who Am I” essay contest for the Vietnamese Heritage Museum. To my surprise, my essay was one chosen out of many entries. 

The award ceremony coincided with World Refugee Day this past weekend. This essay will be archived in the Vietnamese Heritage Museum. I am looking forward to sharing with my students about my trip and connecting with their own families’ stories of diaspora.  Attached is the essay, some photos from the event, and student work that inspired me to put myself out there and go for it. 

Again, I still feel incredibly lucky and honored to have been a Fund for Teachers recipient.”