Kevin K

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Major: Pharmacy

Hometown: Madison, Connecticut

Age: 21
Mother Home Country: Vietnam

Father Home Country:  Vietnam / Cambodia

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"I stay really close to my Vietnamese roots because they follow me everywhere I go. Everything I’ve learned from my parents since birth has had cultural significance and cultural purpose behind it. It’s impossible to forget the things you’ve learned from childhood and because of this, I am always connected to my family’s culture.

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My mom was a refugee of the Vietnamese war while my father was a refugee from the Cambodian genocide as well as the Vietnamese war. They both got sponsors in the United States but from different families. My dad was sponsored in Idaho while my mother was sponsored in Connecticut but they somehow kept in touch and got married in Connecticut.

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When people talk about the “immigrant mentality” which refers to a set of beliefs that immigrant parents pass onto their children, I find myself resonating with that mentality. The most important thing to me with being a second-generation American is that with the support of my immediate family, I am in charge of my future and this path for me can only come from me. In a way, I am creating my own path and the only way for me to find success is if I work harder than the next person. This drives me to work harder than my peers, it drives me to have high academic standards and constantly striving for goals. With my parents coming to this country with nothing, the only direction I can take my life is up."