First-Gen Flourishing Scholarship

Hanh Nguyen; She was a loving friend, sister, daughter, but above all my mom. Seeing my mom lying in a casket at 14 changed the trajectory of my entire life. In August of 2021, I took the initiative to voice my truth, confessing that my stepfather had molested me as a child. At the time, I was staying with my older brother. After being notified by officers, my mom promised he would be removed from her home by September 15th, so I could return to a safe home. By the end of that same week, no one had heard from her. My mom was not answering any of her text messages or calls. It had dawned on me that something was not right after I called her managers and discovered that she had also not been showing up to work. Sensing a disruption in the balance of nature is an apprehensive feeling. On September 18th, my brother, Thien, found her lying face down in the guest bedroom of her own home. The discoloration in her legs had confirmed our worst fears. She had been dead for four days until she was found. Discovering that my stepdad had taken my mom’s life is my most significant adversity. It’s ironic how demanding justice for myself turned into seeking justice for my mom. No matter how much I wish it were, my mom’s death is not reversible. At first, I blamed myself. Bargaining consumed me until I realized that I could not rewrite the past and my mom’s death was completely out of my control. Losing my mom was hard, but I realized that choosing to remain in a state of suffering would have been equally as difficult. In grieving the loss of my mom, I learned to persevere and to use every ounce of pain not only as fuel for my academic integrity but also as a drive to be the best version of myself. I exemplified a commitment to my education by continuing to show up every day and maintaining a 4.0 GPA. My involvement in my community did not disappear after this tragedy either. I attended every cheer practice, performed at every game, and became involved in clubs such as the Chick-Fil-A Leadership Academy whose mission was to impact others through action. Overall, I wish to inspire devotion in others by leading by example. I hope that by providing a model of growth, discipline, and success for me, others will want to do the same for themselves. My greatest aspiration is to become a Neuroradiologist. We are only given one lifetime to live, so I want to spend my days animatedly with the utmost meaning. I plan to achieve this goal by obtaining my bachelor's degree in neuroscience and attending medical school. I believe that my purpose in life is to make a difference in society by leaving a positive impact on the lives of others. Through my endeavors to become a physician, I hope to continue my impact to make the world a better place. Tomorrow is not promised, but I will always live for today. When we pass away, we leave a legacy. I want to be remembered for my positivist influence and altruistic contributions. While my high school grades and achievements do not define me, they testify to my strength and resilience. My stepfather may have taken away my innocence and mother, but the vision I have for my future is forever mine to keep.

The sirens and the light blinded my eyes and my mind as well. People passed, lights flashed, and so much noise. I heard voices. They were drowned out by all the commotion in my head. My mother and brother had been shot, and I, just nine years old, had to get help. Though I acted as quickly as I could, I lost them both that terrible night. Working through my grief changed me radically, but I also discovered an inner strength I didn’t know I had. Overcoming this devastating obstacle made me realize there was nothing I couldn’t triumph over. If you can think of the “world’s greatest mom,” mine was the greatest. When my mom found out she was pregnant with me, she started crying. At forty, she did not know what to do with a baby, and my brother was about to graduate from high school. One night I awoke to darkness in my room and the sound of someone groaning as if in pain. I found my mother by the stairs leading to the attic. She had been shot–so much blood stained her chest black. I called 911 and I told my Aunt to pick me up as my mom painfully instructed me. Meanwhile, I put clothes in a bookbag and put on my shoes. 911 services arrived. They put my mom on a stretcher, but I did not see her because the police pulled me aside to ask questions. At the police station, even more questions were asked. The room was so bright, full of fluorescent lights. My mind flooded with everything that had happened so fast. I was praying, hoping, and making deals with God. I promised that if she lived, I would do anything. Then, the call came. My mom died at the hospital, and my brother died upstairs at home. Tears flooded out. My Aunt, who was also crying, embraced me. It is heart-wrenching to see people my color and age with so much potential and purpose succumb to the criminal justice system. But what do you do when you have had no role models or second chances in life? This is where the criminal justice system needs to fix its disparities. I believe that the system needs to be reworked to fit in minorities who have been beaten down for too long. Despite this painful night, I have decided that I will turn my trauma and pain into a passion to help others. I realized how brief life is and that I should not take it for granted. From this, I learned to be resilient and take all the trauma to turn it into an impact to help the underrepresented and unheard. I plan to become a lawyer and speak up to help children and others like me who need to be advocated for, protected, and represented. They deserve a chance to be heard and seen as human. I intend to combat the criminal “injustice” system and serve those who have been silenced and oppressed.