Often times, we think that VSA’s/IVSA’s/UVSA’s have only been around within the last decade or two simply because we ourselves experience the ups and downs of VSA’s and their existence. Some days they’re alive and kicking with new members, and some days we don’t know how to revive them. But, in New England, they have…
Bursts of laughter filled the room as we watched one another act out charade telephone. Following the UNAVSA-12 presentation, attendees had to act out different animals and occupations from snake to belly dancer. By the end of the activity, large circles formed and attendees from Washington and Oregon alike, mingled and shared their stories of…
Hello there! My name is Michelle Tran and I am a senior studying Information Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). I am the president for my college’s VSA, a UNAVSA Visionary Scholar, and most recently, the Co-Executive Director for the Mid-Atlantic Union of Vietnamese Student Associations’ (MAUVSA) Fourth Advance Conference (MAC-4). With…
Hi everyone! I’m Thu-Mai the current president of UH VSA and I hope everyone is having a wonderful start of the new year. Chúc Mừng Năm Mới and happy year of the Goat/Ram!!! Every school has their “baby” whether it be a culture show, VSA pageant, a date auction, formals, leadership convention, sporting event, or…
Tết Nguyên Đán, or Vietnamese New Year, is one of the most important celebrations in the Vietnamese Culture. For me personally, it was and still is a holiday I look forward to most. My home was filled with special traditional foods and treats like bánh tét (Variety of sticky rice cakes with a savory or sweet…
Hello Everyone! My name is Thu-Mai Nguyen and I was part of the UNAVSA visionary class of 2013! For those of you who may not know what the UNAVSA Visionary scholarship is, it basically is a scholarship sponsored by Huy Duong for individuals who are deemed to be passionate, driven, and dedicated to their community.…
My knees ached from the squid-like position I held in the back seat of the cramped sports car. The passenger however, needed more of the extra legroom than I did. Exit 162 passes by the corner of my eye. As we draw near the city, doses of adrenaline migrates to my stomach; the tingling sensation…
Hi UNAVSA family! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to each and every one of you! My name is Vanessa Nguyen, also known as Mama Reindeer to some, and I’m here to take over the UNAVSA blog for a special Christmas Holiday edition. At UNAVSA-11 this summer, my Reindeer family and I brought “Christmas in…
Let’s go back in time when I first performed for the Asian American Student Intercollegiate Association (AASIA’s Annual Date Auction) which happened in my sophomore year of college! We were fundraising for UNAVSA’s CPP beneficiary which was VietHope. But, it meant so much more than just fundraising for an organization. It was the time when my…
I’d never thought I would come to the day where I would feel so at home and so out of place at the same time. I started participating in UVSA-Midwest my sophomore year of college and vividly remember how I got there and which keynote truly inspired me. I was EVP for VSA UIUC at…