Vietnamese exchange student makes friends easily
IMAGE / Courtesy of Duy Nguyen
Junior Trenton DiGenova (l to r), senior Duy Nguyen, and junior Brandon Fisher stand with their trophy from winning the Capac tournament in wrestling.
Senior Duy Nguyen traveled all the way from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to visit America at the age of 15.
That’s about 8,584 miles.
The trip is two days on a plane, and on top of that, Nguyen came alone.
No family or friends; he was on his own for the entire journey.
Nguyen (pronounced “win” in English) came to America because he thinks it has more opportunities for him than Vietnam does.
He also wanted to study English and learn more about a foreign culture.
He aspires to be a pilot and wants to fly all over the world.
Nguyen is staying in America for 10 months and said the first thing he wants to do when he gets home is visit his family and friends.
He doesn’t miss Vietnam itself, just the people close to him.
He wants to come back to America in a year, though, because he said he likes the United States more than Vietnam.
“So far, America is better than my country in education, location, and the people,” Nguyen said.
He even wants to attend college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Surprisingly, he had nothing negative to say about America. He said there wasn’t anything bad about it, and that he is happy about being here.
Nguyen said the major difference he’s noticed between KHS and his school back home is that in Vienam students stay in one classroom all day and at KHS he gets to go to multiple classrooms throughout the day.
Senior Duy Nguyen strikes his signature pose with his best friend Junior Brandon Fisher.
Another thing Nguyen noticed was the people. He said they are friendly to him and accept him.
“I have a lot of American friends,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen said his favorite thing to do in his free time is hang out with his friends.
One of Nguyen’s closest friends he has met in America is junior Brandon Fisher.
Fisher and Nguyen are both on the wrestling team.
Knowing they shared a common interest, they got to know each other.
They soon became best friends. Nguyen even calls Fisher his brother.
Fisher said, “Duy is cool, funny, and chill. We met and started talking more and more.”
He said they became really close friends and that he’s happy Nguyen decided to come to America.
Another sport Nguyen plays is soccer. Being on the wrestling and soccer teams, he’s making the most of the sports available at KHS.
Nguyen has had a positive effect on KHS with his kind and outgoing personality.
Traveling to a foreign country, especially alone, is certainly frightening to most people, but Nguyen is living proof that it can be a great experience.
Grade: Junior
Hobbies: Hanging out with friends and family
Future Plans: (I plan to) go to law school to become a lawyer.
Favorite Book: "Glass...
