A Valedictorian Speech: Uncertainties make life excitingBy Chau Huynh ’07

Parents,todayIamoneofthelastobstaclestostandinthewayofyourchildgraduating.Ohsweetpower,butofcoursewithgreatpowercomesgreatresponsibility.Itisahumblingexperiencetobeabletostanduphereandsharemymemoriesofthepastyears. Twoweeksago,IranacrossabookbyRobert FulghumtitledAll I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.Thebookcontainsimportantlessonsthatwelearned,suchascleanupyourownmess,don’thitpeople,flush,learnsomeandthinksomeandpaintandsinganddanceandplayandworkeverydaysome.Buttheonelessonthattrulygotmethroughschoolwasthisone:it’sokaytobeuncertainaboutwhatliesahead.Mymessageisnotaboutself-doubt,butratherabouthavingconfidenceandtrustingthateverythingwillbeallright. Whileinthefirstgrade,IlearnedthatmyunclehadsponsoredmyfamilytomovetoHawai‘ifromVietnam.AfterfrequentvisitstotheofficeoftheU.S.Ambassador,myfamilywasfinallygrantedpermissiontocometotheUnitedStates.Soat11-years-old,Iboardedanairplaneforthefirsttimeinmylifeandwatchedasmyfriends,relatives,andeverythingfamiliargotsmallerandsmalleruntilIwasabovetheclouds.Severaltransferslater,myfamilyandIlanded,andIwasstillfeelingabovetheclouds,unrealanduncertain.OnmyfirstdayoffifthgradeinHawai‘i,theteacheraskedmehowoldIwasandIreplied,“Yes.”IwentshoppingatLongs,andwhenIsteppedonthefootofamiddle-agedlady,Isaid“thankyou”andranaway. Lookingback,IamgladthatIwasignorantofhowhardmyparentshadtoworkandhowscaryorembarrassingitwastonotunderstandwhatwasgoingonallthetime.Theuncertaintyhadallowedmetotestmylimits.Itrustedthateverythingwouldworkout,andindeedithas. Neitherofmyparentshadtheopportunitytofinishhighschool,andeducationhasneverbeenanemphasisinmyfamily.Iappliedto‘Iolaniasaresultofafifthgradeteacher’sencouragement,notevenknowingwhat‘Iolaniwas.Onceagain,Ifoundmyselffacetofacewithuncertainty.RumorsabouthowcompetitivethestudentswereandhowlateIwouldhavetostayupatnightfilledmewithfears,whileprom-isesofnewexperiencesfilledmewithexcitement.Duringmyfirstyear,IjoinedtheScienceBowlteam,notbecauseIlikedscience,butbecauseIthoughtoneoftheteammemberswasreallycute.LittledidIknowthatScienceBowlwouldbecomesuchabigpartofmylife.Ilearnedtotakerisks,tomakerandomguessesdespitewhatmychoicesmightcosttheteam.WhileIcausedmyteamtolosemanytimes,myfellowsciencegeeksstillloveme,orsoIhope.Inhindsight,IdidnotexpectthatallthelittleriskswouldadduptoafreetriptoWashington,D.C. ThesepastfewyearshavebeensofunbecauseIdidnotknowwhatwasinstoreforme.Thepeopleat‘Iolanineverceasedtosurprisemewiththeirintellect,theirathleticability,theirartistictalents,theirgoodlooks,but,mostimportantly,theirkindhearts.IknowIwillneverforgetthatMr.(Charles)ProctorsavedthesciencesectionfromtheNew York Timesformeeveryweek.NowI’mleaving‘IolaniandstillhavenocluewhoIamorwhatwillbecomeofme,andIrealizethereisnothingwrongwiththat.Uncertaintieshavemademylifeexciting. SincemyparentshavenotunderstoodwhatIhavesaidtoday,pleaseallowmeamomenttothankthem.Cam on ba ma da hi sinh rat nhieu cho con. Hi vong ba ma vinh hanh ve con ngay hom nay. Fellowgraduates,IhesitateabitasIthinkaboutthenextfewyears.‘Iolanihasopenedsomanydoorsforus,andtheinfinitechoicescanlookdaunting.Hopefullythroughitall,wewilldiscoverthatperhapsourlimitsarenotzero,butundefined.Iamsurethatwewillconfrontmany,manyuncertainties.Beexcited.Thedotswillsomehowconnect.

� ‘Iolani•HoChiMinhtoHarvard

Valedictorian Chau Huynh ’07 delivered this speech at the June 2 commencement ceremony for the Class of 2007. Other student speakers were valedictorian Jonah Yuen ’07 and senior class president Gerilyn Manago ’07.

Chau Huynh ’07 speaks from the podium during the 2007 commencement ceremony.

� ‘Iolani•HoChiMinhtoHarvard

By Cathy Lee Chong

Theysayapictureisworthathousandwords.Butsometimesathousandwordscanrepresentthestruggles,

journeysandtriumphsofanentirefamilyandtheirnativeland. WhenChau Huynh’07steppedontothestageandtookherrightfulplacebehindthepodiumatthecommencementceremonyfortheClassof2007,themomentsignifiedapinnacleinheryounglife.Notonlydidshespeakonbehalfofherfellowvaledicto-riansandclassmates,butherspeechtoldthestoryofhumility,courage,persever-ance,aquestforknowledge,andthevalueoffamilyandlifelongfriendships. Whenshefinisheddeliveringhercom-mencement address, many audiencemembersweremovedtotears.Applauseroared from every space on the lawn.Thoughtheywerenotphysically there,Chau’sfamilyandfriendsinVietnamwerepresentinspirit.Andthesacrificesandrisksmadebyhermother,fatherandunclehadclearlybeenworthwhile. “Thegraduationspeechisanopportu-nityforstudentstosharetheirversionsofthe ‘Iolaniexperienceandhowtheygottothatpoint in life,”says ‘IolaniDirec-tor ofCollegeCounseling Todd Fleming.“IfeltChau’sspeechprovidedsuchagreatinsight into her as a person. Everyoneknowsheras thisphenomenal student,butthespeechrevealedhersenseofhumorandrealself.”

InlateMay,aboutaweekbeforegradu-ation,HeadmasterDr.Val Iwashitainvited20studentsfromtheClassof2007tohisofficeforanimportantmeeting.Heproudlyannouncedthateachof themhadbeennamedavaledictorian.Fromgradesninethrough twelve, they had achieved thehighestacademicrankand,asagroup,theiraverageGPAwas4.32. Inadditiontotheseniorclasspresident,twoofthe20valedictorianswouldspeakatthecommencementceremonyonJune2.ThiswouldbetheboyandgirlwiththehighestGPAs. Jonah Yuen ’07 andChauwereselected. “I was like, ‘Wow,’” Chau recalls.“IwouldneverhavethoughtI’dbethere.Everyone in the room there that daydeservedtospeak.Thedifferencebetweenmeandtheotherpeoplewaslike.0001.”

Butwhenshesatatthecomputertowrite thebiggestspeechofher life,shedidn’tknowwhattosay.Herfirstdraftswereunfocused.Herwriter’sblockwasthesizeofaboulder. Thankfully,shewasworkingwithlong-timeEnglishteacherGeorgeanne Miyamoto,whohasworkedwithdozensofvaledictori-ansandclasspresidentsontheirspeechesover theyears.Mrs.M,as she iscalledbystudents,hadbeenChau’sninthgradeEnglishteacherandhadcoachedheronthespeechanddebateteam. “Mrs.Mwaslike,youknow,‘Tellyourstory,’”Chausays.“Iwasreallyreluctantatfirstbecauseitwaspersonal.ButyouknowMrs.Mgotitoutofme.Shesaid,‘Itisastoryworthtelling.’Ijustsatdownandstartedwriting.”

Following the ceremony on June 2, family and friends congratulate the graduates on the school’s football field. Left to right, great aunt Ba Xim, Chau Huynh ’07, mother Nhon Nguyen and father Tu Huynh.

A young woman’s journey from Ho Chi Minh to Harvard

� ‘Iolani•HoChiMinhtoHarvard

Towardstheendofherspeech,ChauthankedherparentsinVietnamese,thoughshewasinitiallyreluctanttodosobecausefewpeopleintheaudiencewouldunder-stand.However,Mrs.MhadencouragedhertobecausethemostimportantpeopleinChau’slifewouldknowthemeaning. “Thankyouforallyouhavesacrificedforme,”Chausaidinhernativetongue,“andIhopeyouareproudofmetoday.” Aswell,Chau’saccomplishmentsmakethe‘Iolanicommunityswellwithpride. BorninHoChiMinhCity,ChauwasayounggirlwhenshelearnedherfamilyplannedtomovefromVietnamtoHawai‘i.Herfather’sbrother,whohadfledVietnamafterthewarasoneoftheboatpeople,sentpicturesfromHawai‘ibacktohisfamily.ChauremembershowimpressedshewasbythephotosandhowcleanthestreetsinHonolululooked. WhileChauwasonly11whensheimmi-gratedwithhermotherNhon Nguyen,fatherTu Huynh,andolderbrotherKiet Huynhto

Hawai‘i,herparentswerealreadyintheirmid-forties,andChausaysthatlearningEnglishwasharderforthem.Herparentsalsodidn’tknowanyoneinHawai‘i,exceptfor her uncle, and life in Vietnam was“simpler”thanlifeintheU.S. “My familydecidedtomovebecauseof me, because of all the educationalopportunitiesandcareeropportunities,”Chausays. ShebegansixthgradeatWashingtonMiddleSchool.Shedidn’tspeakanyEng-lishandadmitsshegotteasedalotandhadahardtimemakingfriends.Butafewstudentswerewelcoming,andsheremainsclosetothemtothisday. ChautookEnglishasaSecondLanguageclassesthroughHawai‘i’spublicschoolsand“watchedalotofTV”tohoneherEnglishskills.Later,anESLteacheratLunaliloSchoolsuggestedChauapplyto‘Iolaniforherninthgradeyear.Chauhadneverheardof‘Iolani,butshetrustedherteacher.

Gathering in Seto Hall before the senior march to

graduation were Ili Wong ’07, Kerrie Yee ’07, Lisa

Gao ’07, Angeline Chang ’07, Chau Huynh ’07 and

Ruth Chen ’07.

On campus during their senior year were Angeline Chang ’07,

KerrieYee ’07, Lisa Gao ’07 and Chau Huynh ’07.

� ‘Iolani•HoChiMinhtoHarvard

Shewasaccepted to ‘Iolaniandmettherequirementsunder‘Iolani’sFreemanScholarsProgram,whichisforimmigrantsfromAsiawithacademic,athleticorartisticpromiseandwhodemonstratefullorsub-stantialneedforfinancialaid. At‘Iolani,Chauflourished.Shejoinedthespeechanddebateteam,mathteamandScienceBowlteam.Shemadefriendsmore easily than in middle school andwasastonishedathowmuchherteacherscared.Inhersenioryear,shewascaptainoftheScienceBowlteamwhichwonthestatechampionshipandrepresentedHawai‘iatanationaltournamentinWashington,D.C. Forherscholarshipwork,shefulfilleddutiesintheRegistrar’sOffice.ShealsotookapotpourriofAdvancementPlace-mentandhonorslevelcourses,workingcloselywithDirectorofCounselingTracy Kimura’87onschedulinghercourseworkandextracurricularactivities. “Chaualwayssayswhatshelikesabout‘Iolaniisthatpeopleherearereallybright,

butarealsoverymodest,andthattheyinspiredhertodoherbest,”Kimurasays.“But Idon’t thinksherealizes that sheinspiresotherpeople. Idon’t thinksheknowsshehasthateffectonothers.” BackinDecember2006,Chaureceivedthenewsthatshewasgrantedearlyaccep-tance toHarvardUniversity for the fallof2008. Whenshetoldherparents,theydidnotknowwhatHarvardwas.AndtheywereuncomfortablewiththeironlydaughtermovingtotheEastCoast.Theyinitiallyaskedher to stay inHawai‘i forcollegeinstead.Butthenhermotherandfathertalkedtotheirfriends. “Theirfriendstoldthem,‘Wow,that’sareallygoodcollege,’andtheywerelike,‘Really?’”Chausays.“SothentheylearnedmoreaboutitandnowIguessthey’rereallyproud,butmydadisstillreallysadthatI’mleaving,andit’ssofaraway.” Chau’sparentsworkinat-shirtfactory,andherbrotherisaseniorattheUniversityofHawai‘iatManoa.Relativesonhermoth-er’ssideofthefamilyarestillinVietnam. While Chau has learned a wealth ofknowledgefromherteachersat‘Iolani,thelessonsherparentshaveimpartedtoherareequallyasvaluableandmeaningful. “From my parents I’ve learned thattherearealotofdifferentkindsofintel-ligence,” Chau shares. “Not just bookwise,likedoingwellontests.Icanstudyandmemorizealmostanything.Butmydad is like ahumancalculator.Hecan

multiplytwodigitnumbersfast.Hecandothatreallywell.Andmymomisjustthegreatestcookever.Youknowtherearealotofdifferenttypesofintelligence,andI’velearnedthatfromthem.” WhenChauturned18-years-oldonFeb-ruary17,shebeganapplyingtobecomea United States citizen. After studyingAmericanhistory, takingawritten testandundergoingalengthyinterview,shereceivedhercitizenshipthispastApril. Themilestoneskeepcoming. At spring honors day in May, shereceived the Sananikone AchievementAwardgiventotheseniorwhohasdemon-stratedextraordinaryeffortsinthefaceofhardshipandinovercomingthebarriersofanunfamiliarcultureandlanguageinachievingscholasticexcellence. This past July, she attended a four-week National Youth Science Camp inWestVirginia. OnSeptember8,shebeganorientationweekatHarvardwhereshe is receivingnearly a full scholarship. She hopes tomajorinbiochemistryandperhapsgotomedicalschool,butsheisnotrulingouteconomicsasacourseofstudyafterbeinginspiredby‘IolaniAPEconomicsteacherRichard Rankinlastschoolyear. ThelittlegirlwholeftVietnamsevenyearsagoisnowayoungwomanembarkingonanotheradventureinadifferentpartoftheworld.Again,sheisleavingsomethingfamiliarandjumpingintotheunknown. Butshe’snotworried.Assherevealedinhergraduationspeech,“Uncertaintieshavemademylifeexciting.” Whatmemoriesof ‘IolaniwillremainwithChauintheyearstocome? “TherewerealotofreallybigeventslikethepromandseniorcampthatI’llneverforget,”shereminisces.“ButIthinkIwillreallyjustmisssittingonthebenchesandtalkingstorywithmyfriends.Inthebackofmymind,IrealizeImaynotseethemforalongtime.Andit’sreallynicetojusthavefriendstotalktoaboutanything.”

“FrommyparentsI’velearnedthattherearealotof

differentkindsofintelligence.Notjustbookwise,

likedoingwellontests.”

—ChauHuynh’07