The Plight of Vietnamese American Students [p.2]

Last semester, I had a student who came to the U.S. as a young child and her writing was excellent. But all she wrote about was her father not wanting her to write. Instead, he pushed her into what he saw as a more pragmatic field like accounting. She also wrote about her father’s uncontrolled anger, her depression and her difficult relationship with food. A talented student, she has now graduated. But lacking direction and support from her family, she is torn between filial piety and her love for words.

Other students in my Vietnamese American literature class, those who were born here and who are supported by their parents and love to write, have done very well. One of them, Danny, has been involved in promoting the work of emerging Vietnamese American artists. Danny also performs in the community and has been accepted to graduate school in a Creative Writing program at a prestigious university.

Yet students like Danny are in the minority. According to Susan Truong, a counselor at SFSU’s Student Support Services Program, most Vietnamese American students feel pressured by their parents to get into certain majors, generally pre-med, nursing, biology, engineering or business. Since they often live with their parents, they receive more pressure than some of their peers. Much of Truong’s work consists of educating first-generation, low-income college students about how to educate their parents. She directs them for instance to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website where students can show their parents how much a person in the profession of their choice can earn. The website also provides job market statistics.

The pressure of finding a well-paying job in a traditional field such as law, medicine or engineering increases stress factors for many Vietnamese American students. It is not unusual for me to have Vietnamese American students come to my office and cry. Nineteen-year old Paula says she has better grades than her brother, but she had to stay back and live with her parents so that her brother could go to UC Davis. She has developed a passion for Political Science and does not know what to tell her parents, who expect her to enroll in pre-med. Although she excels academically, she feels she is failing her family.

Poverty affects Vietnamese American students’ academic performance. Twenty-one-year-old David writes: “Being the only son in the family, I have a lot of expectations: upholding the family name, making good grades, working hard, helping my father with chores. I have been working since the government provided me with a license. I work because I want to help provide for my family. Both my parents work under the table.”

David works 25 hours a week, takes 17 units and does volunteer work on campus and in the community. He is full of energy and enthusiasm but sometimes it is difficult for him to keep up his grades. His old classmate Christal, the sixth child in a family of eight, has older parents who do not work. She has been on her own since she was 18. Christal dropped out because she could not make enough to support herself.

Another student, Pamela, says that because of the high cost of housing in San Francisco, she lives outside of the city and has to make an hour-long commute to attend classes.

“Everyday I fall asleep on Bart and Muni, which can be dangerous for a young woman. My time is limited. As soon as I get home after my long bus ride, I only have time to eat and sleep. I do not have time to do my homework because all my time is consumed by my commute,” writes Pamela.

Counselor Susan Truong says that Vietnamese American students, compared to other students, do not take advantage of resources available to them on campus. She cites as an example the Career Center and Psychology Services. “They don’t go there,” says Truong, “because it is considered taboo to talk about one’s so-called problem.”

Last semester, one of my 19-year-old students’ twin sister passed away. It fell upon her to be the main caretaker for her sister’s child who now calls her “Mom.” She has been forced to take on the role of a single mother without any form of compensation, legal recognition or guidance. A motivated and good student, she kept missing classes to take care of her nephew and was clearly overwhelmed by the task. I advised her to seek help, but I do not think she did.