HONG HA HOANG
Husky Leadership Certificate
Please join me as I share the college experiences that have inspired so much personal growth. If you would ike to learn more about any I've written, feel free to contact me.
Vietnamese Community
The Vietnamese Community has always been a big part of who I am. I am a Vietnamese American who grew up in the states and until this past summer I had never visited Vietnam. While growing up my parents always spoke of the beauty of Vietnam. I spent my whole life trying to connect myself with a part of who I am that I was never able to experience firsthand. I did this by being actively involved in various Vietnamese organizations, including Huong Viet Performing Arts Group, Thieu Nhi Thanh The, Vietnamese Student Association at UW (VSAUW), and Vietnamese Friendship Association. These organizations allowed me to learn about all aspects of the Vietnamese culture through different activities, including the Vietnamese knowledge bowl, learning how to play Vietnamese music, and teaching Vietnamese to younger students. My involvement and exploration allowed me to grow and love the Vietnamese culture. I believe my Vietnamese culture should be shared with the younger generation so our community can stay strong.
Civic Responsibility: Inclusion
While growing up I had issues with not feeling welcome in the Vietnamese Community. There were times where I felt that I didn’t belong because of who I am. Because of this, as a youth leader, I try my best to engage in ways to cultivate an inclusive environment. I am able to do this by leading group activities and events, approaching someone when they’re alone, and educating other youth leaders about how to include everyone in the Vietnamese community.
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Communication: Advocating for a point of view
Sometimes it is hard to stand up for your beliefs. When I was younger I was always the person who never wanted to share her ideas during group discussions. Despite this my teachers understand that everyone has an opinion, and recognized my ideas. They encouraged me to share my beliefs with my classmates. It started out with me just writing down my ideas, to speaking up in class, to me speaking in front of thousands of people. One topic that I am very passionate about is the Vietnam War and the Vietnamese Communities presence not only in Seattle, but nationally and internationally as well. I have advocated and spoke as the voice of the Vietnamese youth in Seattle, shared my thoughts about China claiming Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, two of Vietnam’s islands, and spoke publically about the Vietnam at Camp Murray, a military base in Tacoma. By doing this I was able to demonstrate my commitment to the Vietnamese community and hopefully influence the opinion of others as well.
Self-awareness and Development: Self-development
This past April I participated in Hoa Khoi Lien Truong (HKLT), a Vietnamese intercollegiate cultural pageant hosted by the VSAUW. HKLT aims to cultivate leaders by encouraging involvement within the Vietnamese community, intertwining older generations with our own. Through HKLT’s events and activities, I was able to further increase my involvement in the Vietnamese community. I was able to build and strengthen networks, be active members of service, learn more about my culture, and learn to be the future leaders in the community. In addition I was able to meet a great group of girls, to step out of my shell, and gain some more confidence in myself as a Vietnamese woman. I was inspired by 13 other wonderful ladies, amazed by with a great group of VSAUW officers and how hard they work to make HLKT possible, learned so much from my Hoa Khoi mamas, and felt the love from all of my friends supporting me. If you asked me at the beginning of my whether or not I would participate in a pageant, I would have said no way. But, looking back now, it’s one of the best decisions I have made during my college career. I’ll be graduating this quarter, and this experience has contributed to me reaching my fullest potential in the future.