Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 8, 1995 TAG: 9506090020
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-21 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LUCY LEE SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Four of the 213 graduating seniors are siblings - Di Linh, Lam Vien, Cao and Moc Nguyen.
The Nguyens aren't quadruplets. In fact, they range in age from 17 to 21, but they all will graduate with honors.
Since none of them spoke English, the siblings started the ninth grade together in 1991 after arriving in New Orleans from Vietnam. When the family moved to Salem two years ago, the brothers and sisters began their junior year together.
It's not a problem being in the same grade, they say. In fact, it works to their advantage, since they can study together.
"We learn more this way," says Lam Vien.
And learning is what their lives are about. The Nguyens say they would have been denied access to higher education in Vietnam. Although their parents were secondary-school teachers there, they were paid so poorly that they both had to work second jobs. Lack of educational and economic opportunities were the main reasons the family left Vietnam.
It took the family five years to get to America. Working with the Vietnamese and U.S. governments involved seemingly interminable paperwork and waiting periods, the seniors say. Even so, they consider themselves lucky because they know many Vietnamese who wait more than 10 years to have their applications approved.
When the Nguyens finally left home, they went to the Philippines for seven months to learn English. But when they arrived in New Orleans, they still couldn't understand the language because of the difference in accents.
They were further distressed by the behavior they saw in New Orleans. "People acted wild!" the four exclaimed in practically one voice.
"They were shooting each other every day. People were dying on the streets," said Lam Vien, explaining his siblings' reaction. In looking for a safer environment, the family chose Salem.
Their smiles grow big as they talk about living in Salem. "People are really nice and friendly here," said Lam Vien, translating for his sisters and brothers.
Their father works on the assembly line at Hooker Furniture Co. in Roanoke but speaks little English. Their mother, who doesn't speak English, is a homemaker.
And because English is still difficult for the students, all four of them gravitate toward the sciences. Their younger sister, Giala, a sixth-grader at Andrew Lewis Middle School, speaks better English than anyone in the family, they say, laughing and agreeing that "it's hard being corrected by the youngest."
One more sibling rounds out the family, 23-year-old Dong. His Vietnamese mother and American soldier father both are dead, so the Nguyens adopted him. Dong, also a high-school senior, did not want to leave his friends in New Orleans, so he will graduate there.
Lam Vien, 20, is looking forward to studying electrical engineering at Virginia Tech in the fall. Di Linh, 21; Cao, 19; and Moc, 17, will attend Virginia Western Community College and then go on to four-year schools.
Cao plans to study architecture, and Di Linh wants to pursue medical technology. Moc is still undecided about her concentration.
The parents, the Nguyen seniors say, are most happy over their academic progress. "That's all they come to United States for," said Lam Vien.
Of the other 213 Salem graduates, 75 percent to 80 percent will go to college.
Buddy Ward, director of guidance, says most have chosen Virginia institutions. About 30 percent will go to Virginia Western Community College. Other favorites are Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, Roanoke College and James Madison University.
Senior class President Kelly Thornhill and SCA President Michael Jeffreys found it difficult to characterize their class as a whole. It is a "free-spirited group," Kelly says. The seniors are very diverse in their beliefs, interests, and backgrounds.
by CNB