The document summarizes the story of an engineer who came from a Vietnamese refugee family and struggled as a first-generation college student to navigate the application process with limited resources. However, with the support of family, teachers, and friends, she was able to earn a scholarship to attend her university of choice. Since then, she has become an advocate for education by tutoring for over 8 years and creating resources to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds pursue higher education. She believes in giving back through community involvement and building strong support systems for others.

1. On the surface, I’m just another
engineer…
Image courtesy of: http://blueprints.tumblr.com/
Jane Vu, 2012

2. …underneath, I come from a Vietnamese refugee
family that struggled to re-build a life in America.

3. As a first generation college student…
I struggled to navigate through the competitive application process with
very limited resources.
College
Grades
$Debt$
SATs
Image courtesy of: http://blog.hotdesign.com/2009/02/marketing-treasure-map/

4. Fortunately, with the loving support of…
my family, teachers, and friends, I worked my way to
earn a Regent Scholarship at the university of my
choice.

5. Since then…
I’ve become an advocate for education, working as a tutor for over 8 years
to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds pursue higher learning
and creating resources to help them realize this dream. My partnerships
with the following organizations (shown below) have created a platform to
help me share my passion for learning with others:
Image courtesy of: http://www.itrendous.blogspot.com/ Image courtesy of: http://www.thehelpgroup.org/

6. … and I help build Communities
I would not be where I am today
without a supportive community
by my side that encouraged me to
pursue my dreams. I am a firm
believer of giving back and
strongly rooted in building strong
communities that serve the best
interests of its members by
creating resources that meet their
needs. I have been blessed with
the opportunity to work as a
counselor/ mentor for the UCLA
Orientation Programs and a
community advisor for UCLA Orientation Fun:
Giving campus tours to new students, in costume.
Apartments.

7. To answer your question….
Q: How will I contribute to the community?
A: To put it simply, I put a lot of heart and care into my
work. My goal is to build a better tomorrow, and
wherever I am called to make that positive
difference, I won’t hesitate to roll up my sleeves and
help out. I find more strength with a supportive
community by my side, and almost every problem
becomes insurmountable… with a little more
brainstorming, of course.

8. Wait, that’s not all…
I actively seek long-lasting, meaningful
relationships, and I hope that StartingBloc will be
one more stop that will allow me to do so.

9. Thank you for reading my application!