jtranvisionary

[jtranvisionary]

Welcome! My name is Jennifer Tran.

Here’s my quick intro video introducing myself, why I’m applying for this scholarship, and how to navigate the rest of my submission.

[jtranvisionary]

About Me

Hi! For those who don’t know me, my name is Jennifer Tran and I’m 21 years old. I was born and raised in Canada and am proudly a first generation Vietnamese Canadian. I’m graduating with a B.Sc in Honours Biochemistry from McMaster University located in Hamilton, Ontario Canada in June 2018.

Joining McMaster VSA (MVSA) back in freshmen year (September 2014) was the scariest decision I ever made, but easily the best decision I made upon entering university. I’ve been an executive on MVSA for 4 years now and am completing my first year on the United VSA of Ontario (UVSA Ontario) e-board. Through these last four years in VSA, I have gained countless intangible things: lifelong friendships, leadership opportunities, personal growth, and constant inspiration and motivation by others around me. Being able to find a community that shared similar struggles I had with my cultural identity is the reason I am now able to proudly embrace my Vietnamese heritage. By surrounding myself with people who are positive, nurturing and uplifting in regards to being Vietnamese, I found reasons to love being Vietnamese. Instead of being ashamed of my culture, I not only stand up proudly as a Vietnamese Canadian but I want to stand out as a leader to inspire the new generation of leaders in our community.

My favourite quote is

[jtranvisionary]

Growing Up Vietnamese Canadian | Backstory

May is Asian Heritage Month so I thought I would take the time to reflect on my journey of growing up as a Vietnamese Canadian.

“Where are you from?”

An all too familiar question that left a sour taste in my mouth to which I replied,

“I’m Canadian.”

This prompted further questions of,

“No, where are you really from? Where are your parents from? What is your cultural background?”

For a long time, I didn’t understand what people meant when they asked where I’m really from. I was born and raised in Canada so I truly believed that I was just that. Canadian. To these questions I replied with a smile,

“I’m Vietnamese” or “My parents are from Vietnam.”

This was often met with a 

“Oh, Vietnam! My co-worker is Vietnamese” or “I love fo!” 

Growing up, I was met with similar inquiries of, 

“Let me guess. Are you Chinese? Are you Korean?” 

As children, most were not exposed to many other Asian cultures outside of China, Japan, or Korea and so identifying myself as being Vietnamese to another child left them just as clueless as before they asked me about my origins. So why bother saying I’m Vietnamese?

Language is the center of any culture and once the language starts to fade, so does the culture. My parents immigrated to Canada straight from Vietnam, either possessing a thick accent or the inability to speak English at all. This led to Vietnamese being my first language which I spoke in with my parents and brother. I slowly learned English from watching cartoons on TV, interacting with my peers in kindergarten, and from my older cousins who used to babysit. I didn’t see an issue being bilingual and speaking to my family in Vietnamese until one day, it became an issue. Within my neighbourhood, my brother and I were the only Asian children. However as children, we never saw this as a problem. When I was 6 and my brother was 4, we were playing with all the other children and my brother said,

“Chị, I don’t understand this game.”

As I opened my mouth to answer, my neighbour interjected, 

“Who is ‘chị ’?”

My brother points to me, 

“Jennifer is chị, it’s Vietnamese for older sister.”

“You should just call her Jennifer because that’s her name. We all speak English so you should too.”

This seemingly innocent moment became a pivotal point in which the effects rippled through the rest of my family’s life. Just like every other child, we just wanted to fit in and being Vietnamese deterred this. From then on, my brother stopped calling me chị and his use of Vietnamese declined dramatically. It was this moment in which we were ashamed of our heritage. Ashamed and torn. That’s often how I felt as my Western and Eastern identifies battled against each other. A common theme that haunted my childhood and adolescence.

My parents witnessed their children had slowly stopped speaking their mother language and instead, assimilated into the Western culture. This is probably why they forced my brother and I into Saturday Vietnamese school when I turned 8. When the school bell rang on Fridays at 3pm, all the other kids rejoiced that the weekend had arrived. I groaned at the thought of having to spend my Saturday afternoon learning Vietnamese instead of sleeping in or watching cartoons like all the other kids. Just another reason why I didn’t fit in, just another reason why I didn’t want to identify with being Vietnamese. The real reason why I dreaded Saturday school was because although I excelled in school, I struggled in Vietnamese school. I struggled with what once was my first language, but now felt foreign on my tongue. Going to Vietnamese school made me more ashamed of calling myself Vietnamese because I traded my fluency in Vietnamese for my fluency in English. I felt ashamed to call myself Vietnamese because how can I identify with a culture in which I could not speak? 

Remember, when a language fades so does the culture. 

Saturday school improved my Vietnamese, but I hated every moment of it. I felt isolated from my peers that were fluent and excelled in Saturday school and I felt isolated from my peers who rebelled and only spoke English. I always felt somewhere in the middle, identifying both as Vietnamese and Canadian. As I went from childhood into adolescence, I spoke Viet-lish, a combination of Vietnamese and English, a true representation of my struggle growing up a Vietnamese Canadian.

The conflict between the two halves of my identity continued when it came to another important element of culture: food. To any child, their mother’s cooking is the best in the world. It’s because this is what we grew up eating, this is what we identified as comfort, as our home. I truly did love Vietnamese food until grade one. It was lunchtime and all the other children started to unwrap their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, their Lunchables, or pizza. Meanwhile for lunch, I excitedly opened my lunch bag to eat the bánh xèo my mother had made the night before. Then I opened the nước mắm dipping sauce. This was when I heard a loud,

“What is that smell?”

This outcry was echoed throughout the classroom before one boy pointed at me, exclaiming,

“Jennifer brought some dead fish for lunch!”

A couple of classmates agreed and some even laughed while I ate my favourite dish in silence. In shame. I went home and asked my mom to pack me sandwiches, lunchables, and even asked for money to buy school lunches. Again, my parents watch me toss aside my rich heritage filled with aromatic ingredients that attract the nose, harmony of textures, freshness of the food, spices detected by the tongue, sounds from crisp and crunchy food, and food arrangements that entice the eyes. In exchange, I got the lunchables, the sandwiches, and the school lunch pizzas. And I was content in living that life at school and eating Vietnamese food at home. My shame prevented me from enjoying and embracing my cultural food outside of my home for fear of being judged and ridiculed. This shame was re-ignited in high school when I brought some food in a huyết container. My best friend, who was Chinese, exclaimed,

“Ew. Pig’s blood? Gross.”

“Oh it’s just the container, I don’t eat that stuff. Totally gross,”

I said, lying through my teeth, knowing that this was my favourite part of my favourite Vietnamese dish, bún riêu. Even with my best friend, I had to censor that I was Vietnamese. Even with another Asian, I felt ashamed that I was Vietnamese.

Community? I didn’t know the meaning of this word. I didn’t have any close Vietnamese friends growing up. My parents were not involved in the community as they were always working to pay the bills. I didn’t have anyone who could support me while I tried to navigate being a Vietnamese born Canadian child. Besides my brother, I never felt like anyone else went through the same struggles and confusion I did. I didn’t have anyone to talk to because my brother was three years younger and there was the language barrier with my parents.

Growing up Vietnamese Canadian often meant I was categorized as Asian. Either you were Chinese or the other Asian countries were lumped together into others. In that way, masking my cultural background was easy due to the general label that other kids used to give. Instead of embracing being Vietnamese, I turned to other cultures to embrace. I was enamoured by Japanese culture from anime, the cute sounding language, the delicious food, and the general acceptance and equal obsession from my peers. Immersing myself into Japanese culture that all my other friends loved made me feel like I fit in, and so, I rarely disclosed my background unless explicitly asked. 

Once a year at my middle school, the cafeteria was turned into an international bazaar showcasing booths representing different culture’s food, clothing, and decorations. As mentioned, there was a large booth dedicated to China and Taiwan, but Japan, Korea, and Vietnam were lumped into one booth. I could have made Vietnamese food and worn a traditional Vietnamese dress, áo dài. Instead, I made sushi and wore a kimono. 

Then as I entered high school, my cultural interest shifted to Korean culture once Korean pop music (kpop) entered my life. I loved Korean culture so much that after watching Korean dramas, I tried to learn Korean. I was more interested in learning another language than my native language. I didn’t see an issue with embracing other cultures given the multiculturalism of Canada. However, I didn’t realize then that this was just a cover up for my shame of being Vietnamese. I was listening to kpop and Korean ballads while rejecting heart wrenching Vietnamese cải lươngs. I was watching Korean dramas, music shows variety shows and begrudgingly watched Paris by Night and Asia. I was actively trying to learn how to speak and write Korean while I hated the thought of having to go to Vietnamese school.

Ashamed and torn. A constant motif in my youth motivated by wanting to fit in and give myself an identity. In Canada, I was considered an Asian, an immigrant. If I went back to Vietnam, the natives would consider me a Canadian, a foreigner. I never quite fitted in either world and this troubled me throughout my adolescence. I was always searching for an answer to the question I hated so much, “Where are you from?”

I found my answer when I entered university.

[jtranvisionary]

[jtranvisionary]

my vsa journey part i

I knew what going to university meant. It meant I was taking the first steps into being an adult. I was moving away from home for the first time ever. I was going to a school where I didn’t have any friends. I was going to be academically challenged in ways I only imagined. I was entering into a situation I wanted to run away from - change is scary.

I entered university with a clean slate where no one knew me and I could be whoever I wanted to be. I entered university filled with fears, hopes, and goals. My goal was to change. Change is uncomfortable but is necessary for growth. I was extremely timid through my adolescence and had a great fear of talking to new people. I was tired of letting my shyness get in the way of opportunities and friendships. I knew this had to change so I made an effort to initiate conversation with people and even exchanged numbers in hopes of forming meaningful relationships. I left frosh week with two friends, my roommate I met at the beginning of frosh week and a girl who had just moved to Canada. I didn’t have much luck in my classes either. But I can’t complain because the pyramids weren’t built overnight either. Change takes time. I just needed my lucky break.

And I got it. His name was Kevin Sotto and he’s the reason I’m here now. At McMaster University, there are over 300 official clubs and there’s a dedicated clubs day during frosh week. I signed up for numerous clubs including archery, Canadian Asian Student Society (CASS), and even a bird watching club. When I went back to my dorm, I had a friend request and message waiting in my Facebook inbox. Clicking it, I saw that some guy named Kevin Sotto messaged me about how it was great seeing me at the McMaster Vietnamese Students’ Association (MVSA) club table. I squinted at the screen. I never saw any Viet club and I definitely have never seen this guy before. But I needed to make friends and he seemed nice enough. We ended up chatting for a while and I found out that he’s a second year Commerce student who is also Vice President External for this Viet club. He told me MVSA’s general meeting was next Thursday and convinced me to come out. 

When Thursday came around, I almost chickened out but I knew that this was my chance, my lucky break, to make new friends. When I got to the pickup location, my heart sank as I saw people from my Saturday Viet school, people who knew who I was but never talked to me. It seemed that everyone had their own circles and I was in the middle, all alone. Nothing new, but I knew I had to give this a chance. I wanted to give being Vietnamese a second chance.

As the group of us walked to the actual meeting location led by two MVSA execs, I walked by myself, wondering when and how I should leave.

“Hey! My name is Tee and this is Crystal.”

I turned my head and saw these two girls walking beside me, with warm smiles.

“Hi, my name is Jennifer.”

They became my first friends in VSA and my reason to stay at the meeting. I had a great time at the event and I ended up making another friend. His name is Duy Ngo and he was my partner in the scavenger hunt that we ended up winning. Although I didn’t end up making a lot of friends at the event, I made three, three more than I had prior to the meeting.

“You should apply to be a MVSA rep, Jenn.”

I read Kevin’s message in disbelief.

“I’m not sure. My Viet is really bad”

“I’m not even Viet and I’m VP External. Trust me, you’ll fit in just fine.”

“Kevin, I don’t know. I’m scared.”

“Interview is next Thursday and I’ll be there. Come out and try. I see a lot of potential in you.”

Again, Kevin managed to convince me to do the impossible - (semi) willingly apply for something Vietnamese related.

[jtranvisionary]

[jtranvisionary]

My VSA Journey part ii

Interview date rolled around and I was panicking. I was distraught with feelings of inadequacy and confusion.

“I’m just wasting my time because I’m not Vietnamese enough, my Vietnamese is equivalent to a seven year old.”

During the interview, there were two questions that tripped me up, the first one being

“Do you speak Vietnamese?”

“Kind of? I can hold a conversation for a minute.” 

The interviewers furiously typed down my answer. I knew this question was going to come up and this would be the reason for my rejection.

“What is one of your weaknesses?”

“I’m really scared of talking to new people.”

“And how do you plan to overcome it?”

“Coming to this interview is extremely outside of my comfort zone, but this is my first step to me overcoming this weakness. I want to be able to meet people without crippling fear.”

I left the interview completely unsure of the results, but it was over and I continued on with my life. A week later, I opened up my gmail to see an email reading:

Dear Jennifer Tran,

Congratulations on being selected as one of the representatives for MVSA 2014-2015. Our meeting is this Thursday 7 pm. Please respond if you accept the position.

And this is where my VSA journey really begins.

[jtranvisionary]

[jtranvisionary]

My VSA Journey Part iii

During my first year on MVSA, I got my second chance at being Vietnamese. I was surrounded by a community of people, some who weren’t even Vietnamese, who were so passionate about the culture. This was the first time where I felt that I had found a group of people who understood me - the struggles of being Vietnamese Canadian and people who truly embraced me for who I am. I was surrounded by people who didn’t laugh when I ate food with nước mắm and didn’t look with disgust at my pig blood containers. I was surrounded by people who had similar struggles growing up, used Vietnamese words for comedic effects, and jammed to Vietnamese music. By surrounding myself with these individuals, I found pride in the culture and heritage I had tried to run away from for so long.

Although I didn’t contribute much to meetings because I still had trouble with public speaking, I really bonded with the team while preparing for the United Vietnamese Student Association of Ontario (UVSA Ontario) cultural competition show, Ignite. This was where the other university VSAs showcased cultural performances including acting, singing, dancing, and other talents. For three months, ten MVSA members spent countless hours together in one room, rehearsing lines, singing and dance practices to prepare for the show. Even though we didn’t end up placing, seeing the other VSAs’ performances were really inspiring. Seeing that other people were so passionate about our culture and proudly showcasing it ignited something in me. That along with the bonding experience I had with my team, I decided to take on being Co-Cultural Directors with Ashley Nhan.

[jtranvisionary]

my vsa journey part iv

In second year, this was my first year of actively being an extrovert and an executive on both MVSA and CASS. I became closer with my VSA family, having one on one hangouts with people in order to get to know them more intimately. I craved meaningful relationships and I was given this through my VSA. Being Cultural Director was my first leadership experience in a club and I wasn’t sure if I was capable. However, Ashley and I made some changes to the cultural position and working with our team, our 4 months of hard work, dedication, and passion led MVSA to secure 1st place at UVSA Ontario’s Ignite show. It was during this time that I felt thankful that my parents forced me to go to Vietnamese school. It was useful when writing the Ignite script. This achievement was more than just a plaque, it was the product of my leadership and the result of my ability to embrace my culture.

2016-2017 I was Co-President of MVSA with Ashley. I became more in tune with my heritage, hosting events that celebrated the Vietnamese culture. This was the year where I was able to meet with so many other individuals through attending UVSA Ontario events and within my campus. I sought to not only make sure MVSA’s presence was strong within the VSA community but also to strengthen the Asian club community at McMaster.

I became head organizer of Asian Formal, an event that I help start the previous year. In collaboration with the Chinese Student’s Association (CSA) and the Filipino McMaster Students’ Association (FMSA), we were able to host an even bigger event with over 200 attendees.Through this collaboration, these clubs became closer and celebrated each other’s culture. This was a role I held for the following 2017-2018 year. MVSA had a very successful year with high attendance at our events, numerous new cultural events, and third place at Ignite.  

I have so much love for my team that worked so hard to make Ashley and I’s vision turn into reality. These people, who had so much love and pride for being Vietnamese, are my source of inspiration to always strive to do more for the community. Although I am now an extroverted individual with a wide circle of friends, my closest friends are from MVSA because they were the start of everything for me.

Through our hard work and dedication, MVSA was awarded VSA of the year at UVSA Ontario’s 25th Year Anniversary Gala. It was monumental for MVSA to receive recognition for our passion for showcasing the beauty of the Vietnamese culture. I also received the privilege of being named VSA Member of the Year, a person who grew up ashamed and torn at being a Vietnamese born Canadian.

[jtranvisionary]

[jtranvisionary]

my vsa journey part v

Fourth year was a rough year for me as I tried to work towards my career, taking on new responsibilities outside of VSA, and tying up loose ends at McMaster. This year was extremely challenging mentally,  physically, and academically as I tried to balance school, my thesis, my five extra-curricular activities, my relationships, and my well-being. This past year I shifted roles into being Senior Advisor for MVSA while I took on being Administrative Vice President for UVSA Ontario. Instead of being guided, I used my experience to be a source of knowledge for my VSA. Being on UVSA Ontario was challenging due to the scope of the organization being so much larger and connecting with others was hard because I had a lot of other commitments. However, UVSA, like MVSA, became my gia đình.

MVSA had a difficult year but seeing everyone’s passion to showcase our culture came to fruition with us being awarded Most Cultural VSA and Most Involved in Community Initiatives at UVSA Ontario’s Leadership Summit 2018 Gala. Being on UVSA was challenging but I was able to showcase my passion for philanthropy through the VSA Philanthropy Initiative (VPI) and inspiring new leaders through our first annual Leadership Summit held on May 12th, 2018. 

Our goal was to educate people about mental health, to empower others to become leaders, and to unite and strengthen our region. We achieved more than we could have ever imagined with our event selling out at the Early Bird deadline, attendance from Western Canada, New England VSA, and other states. This year has been the start of many new initiatives and the formation of new relationships. I was able to see our region grow closer through this event as other VSAs formed friendships with one another and Eastern Canada formed friendships with other out-of-region VSAs. The Leadership Summit was the perfect close to a great year of being part of UVSA Ontario and closes this chapter of new friendships, a stronger community, and inspired VSA members. The ending of this chapter hints at the potential for an even stronger union within our region and UVSA Ontario’s presence in general.

My VSA journey is a mirror reflection of how I changed and grew as an individual, not only accepting but embracing being Vietnamese. Without my VSA and UVSA Ontario team and all the individuals I was able to meet because of these organizations, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I achieved the goal I set out when I came to university which was to change. And change I did.

But I know this is just the start of my life long story with the Vietnamese community and my pride of identifying as a Vietnamese Canadian.

[jtranvisionary]

Present

After all those years of feeling ashamed and torn about my identity, today, I no longer feel that way. Today, I can proudly say I’m Vietnamese by blood and born in Canada - I’m a Vietnamese Canadian. For so long, I always felt that I had to be one or the other, but both of these identities are important halves of my full identity. I cannot exist without the entwinement of two cultures.

I cannot imagine where I would be now if it wasn’t for VSA. I am grateful to all the love that VSA has given me, all the opportunities for me to grow, and for teaching me how to embrace my roots. I have met lifelong friends and people who inspire me to be a better leader and to continue working hard for my community.

(My video for VP Admin and talking about my experience on UVSA Ontario)

Currently, I’m running for 2018-2019 President of UVSA Ontario in hopes of using what I’ve learned so far to propel the organization and our region forward using the momentum from this year. I have big aspirations for the Eastern Canada region.

I am also a contestant in Miss Vietnam Canada, a pageant based not on beauty, but on female leader empowerment and cultural preservation. I hope that I will not only positively change and grow as an individual after the pageant, but I will also foster positive change and growth within the community. I want to become a voice for the Vietnamese Canadian youth, to inspire new female leaders the community is lacking, and to bridge the gap between the generations of Vietnamese Canadians. Through this process, I’ve met so many amazing individuals, connected more with the community outside of VSA, and gained confidence in my capabilities. Furthermore, it touches on another element that is really important to me which is philanthropy. The pageant is supporting The Children of Vietnam Benevolent Foundation (CVBF). This charity supports and uplifts orphaned and underprivileged youth in Vietnam through provision of shelter, food, clothing, and access to education. I am currently trying to raise $2000, enough money to send 15 children to school in Vietnam. Follow me on my journey through my @cnd.missvietnam.jennifer instagram for my Toronto pageant on June 10th and Canada pageant on June 16th.

[jtranvisionary]

My Community, My Vision

What is your vision for the Vietnamese community? 

“Community? I don’t even know what that word means.” This was my attitude growing up as a Vietnamese Canadian, lacking a community and its support.

My vision is to establish a community and empower youth on multiple levels: locally, nationally, and continentally. My vision is to provide clarity, guidance, and unity in our cultural identity to allow for preservation of our cultural heritage.

I mentioned this in my “Growing up Vietnamese Canadian” section about my lack of community, struggles of having two cultures, and general cultural identity crisis. The future I imagine is one where first generation Vietnamese-Canadians, like myself, can show how prideful we are in showcasing our Vietnamese and Canadian roots. We will inspire the second generation to embrace both sides of our identity equally. I imagine a future where children will grow up not ashamed and torn, but rather proud and fulfilled and sure of one’s identity and roots. I talked about how growing up, I felt that I had no community because my parents were not involved in the Vietnamese community and I didn’t have any Vietnamese friends. It wasn’t until I joined VSA as a freshman in university when I started feeling a sense of community and cultural pride. However, I spent 10 years or so, feeling isolated and confused. By joining VSA when I was 18, it was only then when I started to connect to being Vietnamese and being empowered to be a leader. However, there were so many agonizing years wasted because I was in isolation.

In the future, I imagine the “VSA community” starting younger and extending through multiple generations. Through the provision of VSA-like groups for children and youth, children will not feel isolated and confused about identity. They will have peers they can rely on and talk about their struggles, joke with, and feel united as a community. I imagine the social and cultural events VSAs hold now will be completed with the assistance of youth. This will not only evoke a sense of pride and community from an early age,  but it gives opportunities for leadership and empowerment. My vision for the community is one that heavily involves youth because they are the future. If we do not let their voices be heard and give them the opportunity to become leaders, who will continue to build and strengthen our community? I imagine that leaders will be inspired not at 18, but at 8. I imagine leaders will start speaking their ideas and invoking change not at 18, but at 8. 

In the future, I imagine there are more schools in various regions where youth can be taught to speak, write, and read the beautiful Vietnamese language because once a language is lost, so is the culture. Being able to speak our native tongue will allow the community to be more connected to one another through a shared distinctive language and dual identities. 

I envision with the strengthening of our local communities, we will be able to hold larger cultural celebrations where non-Vietnamese can and will attend to learn more about our culture. I envision with the strengthening of our local communities, we will showcase our food and passionately and proudly educate others about the rich flavours and history of the food rather than assimilating into western customs. I envision with the strengthening of our local communities, we will teach youth to be prideful in being Vietnamese, passionate in showcasing our culture, and embracing the opportunities to grow within the community as a leader and as an individual. Ultimately, this stronger sense of community will build an even stronger sense of pride being Vietnamese and being Canadian.

This leads into how we can build a stronger community on the national level. In comparison to the United States where there is a greater abundance of Vietnamese people and more passionate Vietnamese individuals, Canada is lacking. I envision a future where our UVSAs for Eastern and Western Canada will hold even larger cultural, social, and professional events within our own region. In addition, I imagine a unity of VSAs across Canada where Eastern and Western Canada UVSAs can unite, forming UVCA (United Vietnamese Canadian Association). This is where we, as Vietnamese Canadians, can discuss political issues within our community, provide leadership opportunities on a national level, and build a community for individuals connected by a common dual identity. 

By creating a stronger community, the future generations will readily embrace our heritage. Instead of feeling isolated in our hardships, we will lean on each other for support in order to maintain, celebrate, and build on celebrating Vietnamese culture. By creating a stronger national Vietnamese Canadian community, we will not only educate our youth but also educate the general Canadian population through making our community presence more apparent within the multicultural mosaic of Canada. Ultimately, the community I envision is one so strong that we can make it possible to bring the UNAVSA conference to Canada where Vietnamese Canadian leaders can showcase their skills, their leadership, and their passion.

UNAVSA stands for Union of North American Vietnamese Students’ Association but often times, I feel like Vietnamese Canadians are underrepresented in this organization, our issues not spoken about, our voices unheard, and our students and youth not passionate enough to become involved. My vision is that in the future, this segregation will no longer exist and that American or Canadian, we as young leaders will be inspired, motivated, and driven by our passion for being Vietnamese and spreading our culture. My vision is a future where there will be a larger representation of Vietnamese Canadians within CORR, cabinet positions, conference family leaders, and within UNAVSA itself. I envision a future where our community is more than our division into Canada and America, but a community that crosses these “lines” and inspires, motivates, and supports each other to achieve greatness, to make a difference, and to inspire change and others. Ultimately, I envision a future where passionate individuals are not only in the American communities, but also in the Canadian communities. When that day comes, we can truly call it UNAVSA. I imagine a Vietnamese North American community that can learn from each other’s struggles and laugh at those struggles as we combat them together. Together, we can talk about the history of our country, the war and the aftermath, and the appreciation we have towards our parents moving to North America to give us a better life. In isolation, we can cross rivers, but as a community, we can cross oceans. In isolation, we can climb hills, but as a community we can climb mountains. In isolation, we can inspire a nation of individuals, but as a community, we can inspire a continent of leaders.

My vision for the future is one where when asked, “Where are you from?” the future generations will proudly stand up as a community and respond,

“I’m Vietnamese Canadian/American.”

And what role do you hope to play in achieving this vision? 

Vision and action - that is what I will provide to help achieve this vision.

My parents both wanted to move to North America to start anew and give a better life to their future children aka my brother and I. My mother was reluctant to leave though, her hesitancy fueled by her inability to envision the future. It was my dad who told her, “Trust me. If we work hard, we can make the future brighter, if not for us, at least for our children.” 23 years later, my parents are Canadian citizens with jobs, a house, and provided a brighter future to their two healthy offspring who both attend university. All this was possible because one person, my dad, had a vision and took the steps into making his vision into a reality.

I will provide the vision for change, the voice of the first generation, the bridge between older and younger generations, the passion to inspire, and the leadership to turn this vision into reality.

I’ve shared my vision with a couple of individuals including past visionaries, VSA members from the States, my VSA peers, sponsors, and older generation of the community. The more I talk about my vision, the more I am confident about it as I gain support from those I talk to. Using my experiences and struggles as a first generation Vietnamese-Canadian and my connections to other first-generation offspring, I will work to preserve our culture, educate youth about our roots, and to speak about the issues we have as first generation children. 

To help preserve and celebrate our culture, I recently became the spokesperson for Ao Dai Canada, a non-profit Toronto-based organization formed in 2017 that focuses on fostering, preserving, and celebrating the Vietnamese arts and culture. Through this organization, I wish to educate myself in order to educate others about our culture and use it as a platform to be the voice for first generation Vietnamese Canadians. Through gaining exposure from the Miss Vietnam Canada pageant, talking to Vietnamese-run businesses for sponsorship, and attending Vietnamese Canadian Professionals’ Association (VCPA) meetings, I am integrating myself into the older generation. Through these connections, I will be the liaison between the two generations to allow each generation to understand each other, learn from each other, and support each other as we all work on building and strengthening our community. Most importantly, I will provide the passion and leadership to inspire. Running for 2018-2019 UVSA Ontario President, becoming more involved in the community, being a Miss Vietnam Canada contestant, and a spokesperson for Ao Dai Canada shows my passion for the community. Through these positions of leadership, I will use this as a platform to create a stronger community by strengthening connections within Eastern Canada and establishing connections to Western Canada and other regions in the States. 

I will create opportunities for first generation youth to become leaders and be empowered. With a stronger community with more support, there will be more opportunities for leadership. I imagine in the future, there will be more female leaders. Instead of feeling oppressed, women will stand up confidently as they lead our community into the future. Growing up, I had very few female role models aside from my mom and that’s something that is lacking in our community. I see this changing in the future as we provide the support and guidance that was lacking before. We will allow females to be empowered and inspired. 

Through my struggle growing up as a Vietnamese Canadian, the past leadership positions I’ve held, and my current involvement in the community, I hope to encourage others to embrace their Vietnamese identities and contribute to the unity of our community. I stand up as a proud Vietnamese born Canadian, and I will stand out as a leader to inspire the next generation of leaders. With my vision and action plan, I will ignite a passion in others to stand up with me and to stand out as empowered leaders. With this community of empowered leaders, we can work together to make the vision into reality. In isolation, we can cross rivers, but as a community, we can cross mountains. In isolation, we can climb hills, but as a community we can climb mountains. In isolation, we can inspire a nation of individuals, but as a community, we can inspire a continent of leaders. Like my dad who had a vision for a brighter future, I have the vision, the action plan, and the “leadership… to turn vision into reality.”

[jtranvisionary]

It is because i’m a girl that I stand up

What is an instance of inequality that stands out to you that motivates and empowers you to stand up and take action? 

“You can’t do that because you’re a girl.”

“Let your brother do it because you’re not strong enough.”

“No, that’s not a job for men, it’s a women’s job.”

“You shouldn’t work out, no one likes a girl with big muscles.”

“No you can’t have that career because that’s not meant for women.”

These were common things said by my parents and things I grew up believing were true. I grew up in a household where my father had designated roles because he is a man and my mother had expected responsibilities because she is a woman. I grew up in a patriarchal household and I didn’t think much of it until I got older. When my dad told me I couldn’t switch from figure skating into hockey because it was “too dangerous for a girl,” I saw it as him trying to protect me. But as I grew older, these small instances of inequality became more apparent.

“Go help your mom in the kitchen.”

The first time my dad asked me, I didn’t question it.

“Help me finish cooking and clear the table for dinner, Hằng!” My mom called from the kitchen.

I was typing furiously on my laptop in my room, trying to finish this section of my lab report.

“Hằng ơi!”

Sighing, I close my laptop and walked into the kitchen.

“Mom, I have to finish my lab report. Can’t Kevin help you, he’s just playing video games.”

“He’s a boy. Boys do not cook and clean, that’s not his role.”

When my mom told me that I had to help her cook and clean  even though I was busy but my brother was not, I realized that my life had limitations on it because I was not male, because I was female. I thought that this was something that I was only experiencing at home, that the world would be more forgiving.

However as a young adult, I am aware of the challenges women face in their day to day lives. Growing up, there were confinements on what I could and could not do because I was a girl. Growing up, there were far and few female leaders and role models, especially within the community.  Although women are gaining more rights in the workplace and the community, the inequality of women in leadership positions remain an issue. An issue I ran into again when I became co-President of McMaster VSA.

My co and I were both female and although we put in a lot of hard work and dedication into revamping the association and implementing new events and policies, there was a lot of backlash received. Particularly from our male peers. There were those who believed we were undeserving of the role and that we were abusing our power because we were “women hungry for power.” This caused tension between our male VSA executive members and my co and I. Ultimately, by being a strong, self-assured female leader who exerted my leadership by behaving how a male leader would resulted in me being labelled as “bossy.” Women are seen as emotionally fragile, but when I controlled my emotions to maintain a professional demeanor, I was seen as cold, stoic, and intimidating. I often felt powerless and defeated because I knew that if I was a male leader, even if I had under performed, I would have been more liked and more likely to be listened to because I was male. I knew this because I had seen this in previous years within multiple organizations I’ve been a part of. There have been many instances where myself or others have been passed over on a position because we are females and that we’re incapable. There have been instances where opportunities were not given because I possessed a second X chromosome instead of a Y.

What does this action look like today? The future?

The unspoken belief of our society that women are incapable of taking on certain positions, particularly as leaders, because of our sex is an inequality that has been present for too long. Within our community, it has predominantly been male but more female leaders are taking a stand to rise above the expectations that confine us and lead the way into a new era. We, as females, need to stand up for our rights and stand out as capable leaders within our community to inspire change in the attitude towards females and female leadership.

I remember the first time someone told me they were inspired by me, as a leader and as a person, and I couldn’t believe it. I have always been a follower rather than a leader, taught that women should follow by the example of men. Never could I imagine that someone would ever tell me that they looked up to me and that I was their role model. Today, I have taken on multiple leaderships roles to show to myself, to my family, to my male peers, and to my female peers that I, a female, am capable of more than just household duties. It takes one person to inspire a movement and I was personally inspired by Katherine Duong, former UVSA Ontario President, whose devotion and leadership skills led to the success of our region and the inspiration of new leaders, one of them being myself. Today, I have placed myself into positions where I can showcase my capabilities as a leader to demonstrate that women can become leaders. By stepping up as a leader in the community, it gives motivation to other girls, who never saw themselves as capable, to stand up as leaders.

This is what will inspire the movement of the future. By standing out as female leader today, this will inspire the next generation of females to stand up with me as we show that we are not limited by our sex. Through competing in Miss Vietnam Canada, I hope that my story and my beliefs in female leader empowerment will resonate with other young females who may be where I once was, unsure of themselves as a leader. I want to create a mentorship program where current female leaders can provide guidance, support, and motivation to young females to push them beyond the stereotypes. Through this mentorship program, this will not only give girls the opportunities to become young leaders, but also to inspire their peers around them to become involved and ultimately, give back to the community.

Today, I am standing up as an empowered, confident female leader so that tomorrow, we will be telling “bossy” girls that they have executive leadership skills. Together, we will stand up as females and stand out as leaders.

[jtranvisionary]

INITIATIVES - VSA Philanthropy Initiative (VPI)

Last year (2017), UNAVSA hosted a Collective Philanthropy Project (CPP) campaign known as the #SingForHope challenge in support of their chosen beneficiary, the Catalyst Foundation. This was a virtual challenge where participants took a video of themselves singing a song that gives them hope, motivation, or inspiration. Then, they would challenge more people to take on the challenge as a way to raise awareness and funds towards the Catalyst Foundation.

Although I was challenged by former 2016-2017 UVSA Ontario President, Jen Giang, my inability to carry a tune made me feel uncomfortable with taking on the challenge. I did donate to the cause, but I felt isolated from this campaign because I lacked the talent and confidence to accept the challenge. I knew I wasn't alone in feeling this way.

Fast forward to October 2017, I am Administrative Vice President on UVSA Ontario. As a e-board, we are trying to decide what events we will host in November and December. There were suggestions to plan another networking events like UVSA Ontario did in January 2017, but the timing was too rushed to execute it properly.

"Does anyone have any other potential event ideas?” 

Andrew Nguyen, one of my Co-Presidents asked in our online meeting.

“I been thinking about this event idea for a while…” 

I began before I pitched my idea.

Philanthropy has long been an important part of my life as I volunteered in hospitals, children camps, soup kitchens, and placed an emphasis on philanthropy during my term as President. During the 2016-2017 year, UVSA Ontario did not focus on philanthropy, one of our main pillars and I wanted to change that. I wanted to make a philanthropy oriented event that would include an online challenge similar to the #SingForHope challenge, but one that was more encompassing of various artistic forms.

And so, the #ArtistsForChange hashtag campaign was created to raise awareness and fundraise towards Pacific Links Foundation, which focuses on all methods of art as an outlet for individuals to express themselves and be the catalysts for change. The art forms include but are not limited to photography, singing, dancing, acting, rap, poetry, drawing, modelling, styling, hair, makeup, videography, painting, baking, martial arts, etc. By creating a more broad hashtag challenge, more people were able to showcase their artistic sides. The entire UVSA team got involved and showcased talents including singing, painting, dancing, modeling, styling, baking, meal prepping, instrument playing, coding, nail art, and more! For every video made, UVSA Ontario donated $1 towards the Pacific Links Foundation.

Working with Alan Nguyen, the Internal Vice President, we created the VSA Philanthropy Initiative (VPI) that went on from November 27th to April 27th, with the goal of raising awareness within the Ontario VSA community about UNAVSA’s CPP beneficiary, The Pacific Links Foundation. We wanted to not only raise awareness and fundraise for the charity, but to motivate and encourage VSAs to engage in their communities through any philanthropic efforts. UVSA Ontario is a role model for the other VSAs within our region and we have to show that philanthropy is important.

Other elements in the VPI campaign included hosting Pacific Link Foundation Webinars with a UNAVSA moderator, Crazy Cool Facts interactive Advent Calendar where VSAs could learn more about CPP and the Pacific Links Foundation, and finally the Working Around the Clock in Toronto Volunteering Day where VSA members volunteered to set up, clean up, and run activities for children.

With a goal of raising $1000, we exceed this with a total of $1050. Although we did raise a large amount of funds, we also raised a lot of awareness of the charity to not only students within VSA but also parents, sponsors, and attendees at our annual cultural Ignite show. I believe VPI is just the beginning of another way for UVSA Ontario to give back to the community, a community that continues to support and empower us.

[jtranvisionary]

#ArtistsForChange 2017-2018 UVSA Ontario CPP Campaign