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Jimmy Patel-Nguyen :: March 31, 2019 — "As a kid, I was surrounded by American culture six out of seven days in the week—but every Sunday, I was back in touch with my Vietnamese roots. At church, I was around Vietnamese people, I ate our street foods after mass, and I took classes to learn how to read and write in Vietnamese."

Jimmy Patel-Nguyen :: March 31, 2019 — "Resettling in America was the third time my parents started from nothing. They were grateful for this country and the freedom it provides. Nothing was too big or too small or beneath them. They did anything to provide us a better life, and sacrificed their own ambitions for our education."

Jimmy Patel-Nguyen :: March 15, 2019 — "My mom was pregnant with me when they came to America. I was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1992—the youngest of nine siblings and tie-breaker between four brothers and four sisters. My dad was in the South Vietnamese army, and was sent to prison after the war. My parents told me things were so bad at that time, they were...

Jimmy Patel-Nguyen :: February 21, 2019 — "I was born in a poor family. My family lived in the North. And then, after the treaty in 1954, my parents left North Vietnam with our family to start a new life in South Vietnam. Almost the same as when I left the country and then went to the United States in 1975. Had I ever thought that one...

Jimmy Patel-Nguyen :: February 8, 2019 — Paulina and I know each other from college—we were members of a hip-hop/cultural dance team at North Carolina State University. Since then, she was crowned Miss Vietnam of the Carolinas, she served in the Peace Corps, and she recently started graduate school. I got the chance to catch up with her in Durham, and we’re honored to share her stories.