NGOC TRIEU PHUONG "RUBY" TRAN
Student, Southwest Virginia Community College

Raised in Ho Chi Minh City, in September 2005, Tran was a high school senior with a vision for herself—one she embarked on fulfilling that same year. “I told my Mom and Dad I was going to school this particular Sunday to clean windows,” Tran said, explaining that this was quite common for students to do, once or twice a semester, as part of their assistance with school maintenance. “When really, I was scheduled to take an exam to see if I qualified as an exchange student to come to the United States and complete my schooling. I didn’t want to tell my parents in case I failed. I only wanted them to know if I passed.” Tran had to wait one long week for the results. “The following Sunday they contacted me with the news that I passed, then I told my parents. They were quite shocked,” Tran laughs about their reaction. “They couldn’t believe I didn’t tell them, but they were happy for me.”

For Tran this opened the gate to a world of opportunity. “America is a developed country and it will be much easier for me to obtain my degree here. This will enable me to return to Vietnam and work,” she says. “It also gives me the chance to improve on my experiences in life and also my English.” This, Tran explains, will be vital to her career ambitions. “I want to work for an international corporation, one that is hoping to establish itself in my country and where my knowledge of both languages will be valuable.”

Although concerned with her choice, Tran’s parents, both of whom are customs officials in Vietnam, support her decision. “With both my parents working as customs officers I could have a good career doing that,” Tran says. “But I want to make my own way, design my own path, they understand that.” She cites her cousin, Anh, as an inspiration, the first in her family to receive an education abroad and return home to a successful career. “He has been an example for me. I have seen what he has done and this is what I want to do with my life.”

The hardest thing about being in America Tran explains is the distance she must now travel to do some of her favorite things. “In Ho Chi Minh City everything was just a few minutes away, shopping, the movies, restaurants. Now I have to travel for over an hour to do most of these things.” But the trade off is worth it for Tran. “I don’t think I could have found a better place in America to live than Haysi or this whole area. Everyone is so friendly and helpful and this made it easy for me to adjust. I looked at other colleges in other areas, but the cost of living is so high and also the large enrollment at some of the colleges wouldn’t permit the same attention I receive from the instructors here at Southwest.”

This past summer Tran returned home to visit her family and renew her VISA. “I’m planning on visiting again this summer but then I’ll be back at Southwest and will graduate in spring of 2008 with a degree in Business Administration,” said Tran. “I plan on transferring to a four-year college where I’ll major in Marketing and Advertising.”