About Me

My family and I are immigrants to the United States. We are Montagnards: members of the Jarai tribe to be exact. Montagnard is a French term meaning “mountain people” used as a catch-all for the indigenous people of the Central Highlands of Southern Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, the Montagnard people lost everything—their land, way of life, country, and their dignity through mistreatment. In Vietnam, I was forced to acclimate to the Vietnamese culture. I was required to learn their language and history, and it was mandatory for me to attend Vietnamese schools. In order to learn the language of my people, the Montagnard, I taught myself through singing hymns and reading the Bible in Jarai.

I have lived in the U.S. for thirteen years. They have been the most shocking years of my life, with good and bad experiences. I have gone through struggles, especially trying to adjust and assimilate to American culture. Most of all, learning English is significantly more difficult for me due to the fact that my native tribal language (Jarai) as well as Vietnamese (my second language), and Rhade (my third Montagnard language) do not have past, present, and future tenses. When I moved here, I knew not a word of English. I had to train myself to think differently, because English works backwards from my other three languages. In order to communicate, I have to translate from my own languages to English and vice-versa.

I am the first person in my family to go to college, and have done everything on my own including applying for FAFSA, admission applications, and scholarships. My parents were farmers living a traditional lifestyle in a tiny communal village in Vietnam located in Pleiku, Gialai and lacked formal education. After graduating from college with a B.A. degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, Minor in Business and Political Science, I have grown as an advocate for community and individuals. I have given back for all the opportunities I have been afforded. I have helped the Montagnard people to navigate complex processes, such as applying for government aid: SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare, disability, retirement, health insurance, and unemployment. In addition, I have helped them acquire citizenship, Green Cards, home mortgages, and jobs. I now continue serving the Montagnard community.