THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 23, 1996 TAG: 9605230001
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 43 lines
Family values are in vogue. But no family embodies American family values better than the Dinhs of Springfield, in Northern Virginia.
Last weekend the youngest family member, Thuy Dinh, 21, graduated from the University of Virginia. He received a degree in sociology, rhetoric and communication studies and plans to be a sports reporter.
If the track record of this extraordinary family is a good predictor of future performance, Thuy Dinh will someday be one of the best sports reporters in the business.
Thuy Dinh is the sixth of the family's six children to graduate from Thomas Jefferson's university in Charlottesville. Surprisingly, the Dinh's have not set the record for the largest number of sibling graduates: The record stands at seven.
The older Dinh children have gone on to excel in their careers in law, aerospace and acting.
From the time they arrived on the shores of America, Dinh's parents knew what so many other poor people don't: that education is key to escaping a life of poverty.
When Thuc and Thanh Dinh escaped Vietnam 21 years ago, they left behind a comfortable middle-class existence. Thuc was a journalist and Thanh was a literature teacher.
After settling in the United States with their young children, the Dinhs took whatever jobs they could get: He worked for a while as a parking-lot attendant; she took a job in a cafeteria. They worked opposite shifts so one parent could always be home with their children.
The parents made enormous sacrifices to help their children through school: Tuition for the six totaled more than $62,000.
The children are grateful. As Thuy was about to graduate this spring, he did an unusual thing: He wrote a letter to University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III praising his parents.
``They threw away all their dreams and accomplishments by leaving their homeland in 1975,'' he wrote, ``and have instead given us the love and support to allow us to achieve our dreams.''
Unflinching parental love and support coupled with a love of learning ensure that the Dinh family will realize the American dream. by CNB