Meet Cam Tu Nguyen

Whitworth Cadre Two
'08 Graduate (B.A. Cross-Cultural Studies)
Henry Foss High School '04

Life In The Countryside

It's a typical hot and humid day. As Cam Tu Nguyen steps out of her house made up of coconut leaves and bamboo, she sees the sprawling countryside with open green pastures of rice paddies. Motorcyclists and people on bicycles pass along the long red dirt paths. She hears the ringing bells of a food cart passing through the village. Cam Tu was raised in a rural town in southern Vietnam. "It's relatable to a small town [in the United States]," Cam Tu said. "Everyone knows each other and a lot of people worked in rice paddies or at a stand in the marketplace." Born into a family who's experienced the Vietnam War, Cam Tu said her family had to do a lot of "random" work because of their inability to pursue higher level work or education due to the war. Odd jobs like selling lottery tickets, old clothes and running a small coffee shop were things Cam Tu said her parents did at one point or the other. Her older brother was a mechanic by trade and her older sister was a seamstress. The Nguyen family left Vietnam as refugees through The Humanitarian Operations Program to Kent, Wash. when Cam Tu was 6 years old.

Culture Shock

From living in a close-knit community in Vietnam to a three bedroom apartment with strangers for neighbors, Cam Tu's world was flipped upside down. There were a lot of cultural differences right away, Cam Tu said. Something little as eating a U.S. breakfast of Pop-Tarts was a new experience for her. When the Western tradition of hanging socks stocked with treats and decorating pine trees came Christmas time, Cam Tu would wonder why someone would ever put food in one big sock. Raised in the Buddhist tradition, Christianity and going to church was something also alien to her when it was introduced by her Christian uncle. As she grew older, she began to develop a keener sense of American culture.

Cam Tu was a responsible student in high school, doing well in all of her classes. However, an incident leaving her boyfriend severely injured took a toll on Cam Tu during the latter years of school. "I was personally struggling my junior and senior year," Cam Tu said. "I was an A, B student and then it came suddenly crashing." On top of worrying about her boyfriend, she also had to worry about her family. The Vietnam War took a toll on family life, Cam Tu said. "It affected my parents and I went through a lot of personal struggles I couldn't turn to my parents for," she said.

Bringing New Insight to a Different Community

As her time to arrive on campus approached, Cam Tu was hesitant on how predominately white Christians would react to a Vietnamese Buddhist. But upon looking back at her four year journey at Whitworth, she said the thing she loves most about Whitworth is the people. "I love that it's a small school," said Cam Tu. "Students, staff, professors and people are always there – it feels like you have a place at Whitworth." Cam Tu found ways to be involved on campus. She has been the secretary and promotional manager of International Club, youth leader for La Hau La, a Buddhist youth group and part of the Bonner Leaders program. "[Building relationships] was key to my survival there," Cam Tu said. "You got to learn how to grow past differences at Whitworth." Cam Tu said. She's even been able to inform people about Buddhism on campus. "I grew so much as a person: spiritually, mentally and intellectually," Cam Tu said. She loved her first years so much that she said she wished she could return to the college life. "Those four years to me have been heavenly," she said.

The Culminating Experience

"Without the Act Six program, I wouldn’t be as happy," Cam Tu said. "Act Six and college has taught me to approach things in a different way and the importance of always learning." She plans to continue her education to earn a master’s degree and possibly a doctorate in education. "My ambition is to live a life where I can be useful, happy and content," Cam Tu said.

By KYLE KIM
6/26/08

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