FIRST-GENERATION IMMIGRANT STUDENTS TO
BENEFIT FROM UH SCHOLARSHIP
Nguyen Family “Pays It Forward” Following Success at
UH and in Profession
HOUSTON, Dec. 9, 2004—Su Nguyen and his six brothers and
sisters faced many obstacles getting to college, but now want other
first-generation immigrant students to benefit from their experiences
and success. Su and wife Lynne have established the Nguyen Family
Scholarship for first-generation immigrant students at the University
of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture.
“In high school, we weren’t aware of the scholarships
or monies available,” says Nguyen. “We were the first
generation to go to college, and we didn’t know what to do
or where to find those scholarships.”
The Nguyen Family Scholarship provides $1,000 a year for a student
accepted to the College of Architecture. The scholarship is renewable
each year as long as the student maintains a B average.
“This scholarship is a tremendous tribute to the Nguyens’
perseverance,” said Joe Mashburn, dean of the UH College of
Architecture. “It not only allows students to pursue studies
in architecture, but also serves as an inspiration for anyone to
pursue excellence.”
For Su and his siblings, going to college meant more than an education.
It meant liberation from challenging high school years where they
were the sole Vietnamese students at a Lake Jackson high school.
It meant building on the new life that their parents carved out
after escaping Vietnam in the 1970s and relocating to Lake Jackson.
College was a way out and a way up.
“When my siblings and I graduated from high school, what was
hardest was not knowing there were scholarships; not knowing that
you could get money for college,” said Su.
In 1982, Su applied to and was accepted at UH where his brother
was already studying engineering. With the help of Pell grants,
the younger Nguyen attended the College of Architecture. His other
siblings soon followed to UH, and all are now graduated and professionals.
Su is now a successful architect with his own firm, Metropolitan
Design Group, Inc.
Similarly, Lynne and her siblings were the first in their family
to attend college. All are now UH grads.
“We wanted to do something meaningful for people who have
been in our situation,” said Lynne. “Many come over
here with nothing and want to do so much. We thought this would
be a very good opportunity to give back.”
The first Nguyen Family Scholarship recipient, Veronica Hernandez,
is the first in her family to attend college. The second daughter
to a single immigrant mother, Hernandez watched her mom struggle
to provide for the family.
“For my mom, it was finding a job and getting some income.
It was really rough on her because she was working full-time and
then some,” said Hernandez. “I started working at 15
and all my money went to the family.”
Hernandez spent much of her youth in El Paso. Many friends and
classmates succumbed to drugs and crime. Instead, she gravitated
toward her teachers and credits them with helping her stay on the
straight and narrow.
“I’m at UH because my teachers recommended me. They
really supported me,” Hernandez said.
On track to complete her degree in architecture next year, she
is hopeful that her future will allow her to help other immigrant
students just as the Nguyens did.
The words make Su and Lynne smile.
“Our whole family went to UH,” says Su. “It wouldn’t
be as meaningful for us to do this anywhere else. UH and the College
of Architecture are great.”
For more information on the UH College of Architecture, please
visit www.arch.uh.edu
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
|