ESL Blogs

My education in physics, mathematics, science, and high tech started with the love of curiosity since I was a child. My memoried when I was a child that my dad always work on machines to do farm work. When I was in high school, I took a lot of mathematics, chemistry and science classes. But I didn't take any physics class during my high school years. However, when I got to college, I took the first physics class and I got a good grade that the physics professor suggested me to major in physics which I did. It took me six years in college to graduate with Bachelor in Physics, but it all worth it. My inspiration is to help and support low-income students and underserved students to pursue higher education. I believe that education is the key to life success, and the door of opportunity open up for people on the journey of life. Education also help the students to broader their perspective about our society.

I am the first generation in America to pursue higher education in the United States of America. My family and I lived in Vietnam during the Vietnam War and my parent's dream and hoped is to guide us on the path of education. My mom was a teacher in Vietnam, and my dad was a farmer in Vietnam. My family and I migrated to the United States of America in 1993 and we settled in Portland, OR, USA since then. I attended Middle School in the United States with many struggled to learn English and adapt to the new society.

I always thought to myself that in order to help me to be a better person is to pursue education in America, and with all the hard work, I made it. That is, I graduated from Portland State University in 2004 with Bachelor degree in Physics.

Life is still fill with challenges after graduation, however, when one door close, another door of opportunity is open. That is, I landed a job in high tech company that helped me to realize what I always wonder most of what can I do with my degree in physics. That is, I noticed people who worked in high tech had degrees in bachelors, masters, and pHD, etc. That is always make me curious and I always wonder the power of education that help people grow into who they become.

Life is challenge in many aspect of life, especially when the world out there seem so colorful. I basically feel lost at some moment in my life. I lose the focus of where I want to go, and what I want to do. But in my heart and mind, I still strongly feel the best time of my life is when I am in school. That is the main reason I want to help younger students to realize their dream of pursue higher education at young.

Life throw at me with a lot of hardship throughout life. But I am certain that the time I worked so hard in school was the best time of my life that I experienced in my lifetime. The time that I was young and I felt empower by teachers, professors, peers, etc.

What is your story about pursue higher education?  

What is your inspiration that lead to you pursue higher education?

Please tell your story here.  Let's inspire one another to support higher education.