Thien Huong Truong

Thien Huong Truong is the first person in his family to attend college. “I want to study and advance my knowledge further everyday, knowing that education is the path for everything I would encounter in life,” he said.

Thien and his family are from Vietnam, and they have already encountered quite a bit in their lives. “My father spent eight years in a Vietnamese prison for supporting the U.S. government and believing in democracy. He fought for my future with his life.”

Last year, Thien visited Vietnam. “It was my most memorable five months ever,” he said. “I have seen miserable lives in the worst condition of living. I saw children, starving and homeless. I saw the elders begging for money on the streets. I saw people digging out food from trash.”

This trip and his family’s sacrifice have had a profound impact on Thien. “I realize how fortunate I am to live in the United States and go to school, to be whoever I wish to be.” He plans to build on his LFCC degree, which he obtained with scholarship assistance, and become an architect.

“I do not want just to be a builder of houses and buildings, but I also want to be a builder of dreams and of hopes,” Thien said.

- Written Sept. 21, 2006