Boats and Toilets (or lack thereof). This is part of my family’s story in their journey to freedom. My father was born in Vietnam, and in his childhood, had to flee the country from his hometown of Bạc Liêu. He along with his family boarded a small boat packed with fleeing fellow citizens and left the only life they knew, praying for freedom and a better life on the other side of the ocean. They didn’t reach far. Along the boat ride, pirates had attacked the ship. To me, this sounds like something out of a movie or book, but to my father and his family, it was very real. Luckily, the pirates only wanted valuables, not lives. So, the boat continued on. Finally, land came in sight, and the boat of people packed like sardines could sigh a breath of relief. They ended up in the Philippines, where they lived at a refugee camp. No formal education, no toilets, my mind cannot fathom such a situation, but there it was and my family like many others lived through it. After months of living in the refugee camp, my family had the chance for relocation, where my father ended up in Hawai’i. This is synonymous with the story of my mother, who similarly escaped Laos by boat, and through a long journey of relocation, found her way on the island of Oahu. Both of my parents came here when they were still children, but just because they were free from persecution did not mean they had life easy. They made their way through the school system starting off without even speaking English, and had to be independent from a very young age, as my grandparents on both sides left their kids to care for themselves. They had not met until college, but had stories similar to each other and to thousands of other Vietnamese Americans. This remarkable resilience to grow and persist through so much hardship has immensely shaped my values in the work I do. I know no hardship I’ve gone through can really compare with what the Vietnamese community faced. This is why my academic and career aspirations have been shaped through rigorous intensity and prosperity. Certain values like grit have been passed down to me, and in that I strive for success despite countless failures in my life. I also think a big part of the Vietnamese American community is that they are dreamers, taking the leap to change their life. I feel that this value has also been synonymous with my ambition in my academic goals. Part of honoring sacrifice is also understanding it, and that is something I’ve tried to do in time in high school. As president of the Pacific Asian Affairs Council club at my school, I am blessed with opportunities to learn more about Asian countries and the Pacific as a whole. More specifically, I’ve tried to learn about Vietnam to truly understand and connect with my heritage. This has led me to attend a study tour to Vietnam, where I was able to visit many historical sites, museums, and exchange with Vietnamese students. I was even given the opportunity to share part of my life, presenting about Hawaiian culture to a top high school of Vietnam. Overall, history of immigration and resilience have shaped my values in life, and my ambitious aspirations in my academics and career. The Vietnamese community has shaped me into who I am today, and I hope it can provide me with one more opportunity as I step into college.