Anna Nguyen and Lan Chau: Gonzaga’s Parents of the Year
By: Francisca Chau, Class of 2015
My parents, Anna Nguyen and Lan Chau, have been amazing role models. Without them, my future would not be possible or at least where it is headed. Words cannot explain the amazingness and the reasons my parents deserve to be recognized for the Parents of the Year Award, but I will do my best!
My parents immigrated to Spokane, Washington with me when I was just one year old in 1993, to give me and my sister a future that they knew was not possible back in Viet Nam. Throughout my life, I did not realize the amount of sacrifices my parents have made for my sister and me, and I am so thankful for everything they have done to ensure that we could have better lives than what they were given.
My mother, Anna Nguyen, was a Kindergarten teacher for fifteen years before moving to Spokane, Washington. She was the first person in my life to instill in me that education was important. Similar to Father Joe, an Opus Prize finalist from Thailand, she would always tell my sister and me, “go to school, go to school, go to school.” Growing up, she made sacrifices for me and my sister so that we could attend private school. There was one moment when I was in middle school at St. Patrick where my father had told my sister and me that we would not be able to afford Gonzaga Prep for high school and that I would have to attend public school. Because my mother wanted the best possible future for myself and the best chance to get into college, she and I worked together to find a way to get the funds in order to go to Gonzaga Prep. My mother and I spent endless amount of time looking at the different scholarships and talking to the financial aid counselor at Gonzaga Prep, and eventually I was awarded a full scholarship to go there! That in turn allowed for my sister to attend Gonzaga Prep as well.
Currently, my mom works as a cable assembler and I know that it humbles her to do so. After being educated in her home country and having to come to the States and be labeled as an unskilled laborer, I am thankful that she was willing to give up her life in Viet Nam so that I can have the best possible future. Through my mother, I have learned what it means to be an independent woman and a hard worker. Through my mother, I know what it takes to be a strong role model and to do whatever it takes to ensure the future of my children. My mom is the hardest worker I know and I am so blessed to have her as one of my heroes. She is the first teacher I ever had, and each and every lesson she taught me, I will forever hold dearly in my heart.
My father, Lan Chau, was a Prisoner of War for five years when he was fighting alongside the Americans during the Viet Nam War. My father is one of the most humble individuals I have ever met. He focuses his attention on others, and loves volunteering his time to help others. His leadership and voice in the Vietnamese community has inspired me in more ways than one. He was the reason I chose to join organizations in which my voice would be heard, and why I followed my passions. If it wasn’t for my father, I would not be in the States right now, I would not have been given the opportunity to have a full ride scholarship to attend Gonzaga, and I definitely would not be so close to graduating with two bachelor’s degrees.
Throughout my life, my father has always been the go-to person in the Vietnamese community in Spokane. He is always willing to listen to people and always makes time to help people. My father has volunteered countless hours to help people with translating and finding resources for others who just emigrated from Viet Nam. My dad is actually disabled from the war, but that doesn’t stop him from volunteering his time in any way that he can. He also has an immense love for children and has a unique way of teaching that I swear that any kid that has ever been tutored by my father, instantly understands what the concept is.
Both my parents are the reason I always push myself to do more. They have given me everything that they could when we moved to the states. They taught me to give thanks to others with my time and my volunteer work, and to help others as if they were our brothers and sisters. We have always lived under the poverty line, but that never stopped us from giving back to the community and through our socioeconomic status, has made us humble in the help that we receive ourselves. They also have been supportive of my sister and me no matter how small we might think it is.
My parents have never allowed our socioeconomic status to be a deterrent of us participating in activities that would give us growth. I was vastly aware of the limitations of what my parents could provide us but that never stopped them from encouraging us to apply and attend leadership conferences and gaining those experiences. Since the 7th grade, I have attended more conferences than I could count on both hands, and that all started because my parents believed in my leadership abilities and what I would gain from attending these conferences. As many people know about me, I absolutely hate standing in front of people and speaking; however, this year I have attended six conferences in which I was a guest speaker or an undergraduate researcher who presented her work to others. Even though it has taken many years for me to get to that place, my parents have always supported me endlessly because they knew I would one day be able to do what it is my mind is set on.
I remember during my senior year, my parents sat me down and told me that they would not be able to support me if I decided to go to a four year university because we just simply did not have the money for it. That fueled my goals of attending Gonzaga without having to take out loans so that my parents would not have to worry about my future. I am proud to say that both my sister and I will graduate Gonzaga with no loans and no financial burdens on my family. We will be the first in our family to graduate from a four year university and be the first in our extended family to pursue a Master’s degree.
My sister and I want to give back, not only to the community, but to our family as well. We want to show our appreciation for their sacrifices and their dedication to giving us the best education that was available to us. We are forever grateful for their support and we could not have done it without them. I am blessed to say that because of my parents’ support, I will be headed to the Tri Cities area next year as a Teach for America Corps member, following my mother’s footsteps and teaching elementary education for two years as I pursue my Masters in Education. Afterward, I plan on pursuing my Masters in Higher Education or Social Work and begin my work helping others in my community, similar to what my father has done in the Vietnamese community.
My parents have been completely supportive of our academics at Gonzaga and love the Jesuit ideals of being men and women for and with others as well as the care of the whole person. They have truly inspired me to be the person who I am today. Without them as my guides, I would not be on my journey to go forth and set the world on fire. My parents exemplify what it means to be a man and woman for and with others, and I hope one day, I can make an impact in my community as my parents have.
As for my parents’ enthusiasm for Gonzaga, when I was accepted into Gonzaga, my families’ wardrobe drastically changed. It is not common that my father is wearing anything other than slacks and dressy button up shirts, so when my dad wore his first GU t-shirt, that meant the world to me! My father is a big fan of Gonzaga’s men and women’s basketball teams! My mother on the other hand is not much of a sports person, but we are still working on that!
Other than the academic and sport support of Gonzaga, they have been active supporters of the organizations both my sister and I are involved in. Just this past weekend, my mom took off work to come watch my sister perform in the Luau that the Hawaiian Pacific Islander Club put on. They also have been very supportive in the Act Six program which is the program that funds my scholarship through providing food for events, coming to the different programs, and meeting with other families who are joining the program!
I hope that I was able to convey a small glimpse of how my parents have played a significant role in my life and through their intentional involvement in my life has lead my sister and I to the place that we are currently in life. They never ask for much; their one simple wish was that we get an education. It makes me extremely happy that I am graduating this year and am able to give that to them. We are blessed to have such amazing individuals as our parents and we only hope that one day we can be agents of change in our communities as they have been.