LIFE IS FULL OF OPPORTUNITY
LIFE IS FULL OF OPPORTUNITY
By Lethu Vo
My name is Lethu Vo (Thu). I left Vietnam in 1977 from a small fisherman’s town called Rach Gia. My father was captain of the boat we took to leave Vietnam. We left Vietnam right after the war had ended, my parents and us three children. We were at sea for at least seven days until we finally landed in Thailand. Besides my family, there were at least ten other families including those of my uncles and aunts who escaped Vietnam with us.
We spent about six months in Thailand until we were sponsored by a family from Washington D.C. We resided there for a few months. I was in second grade. Soon after we moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas where my uncle’s family lived. We stayed there for a year until my dad decided he wanted to work in the profession he knows - fishing! So, we moved to Galveston, Texas. We stayed in Texas for a year, and then moved to San José, California.
“We were at sea for at least seven days until we finally landed in Thailand. ”
Once we settled in San José, we would work in a field in order to make ends meet, traveling from San José to Hollister everyday to pick strawberries, onions, and apricots. We also picked watercress to sell in San Francisco’s Chinatown. I remember distinctly how life was very challenging, having to get up at the crack of dawn as a child.
However, I also recall a happier time attending school as a 3rd grader at Franklin McKinley. After being promoted from Franklin McKinley to Shepard Middle School, I went on to attend Silver Creek High School and graduated with my diploma in 1988. I was the first generation of my family to have the opportunity to go to college. I wanted to stay close to home to help out my family, so I chose to enroll at San José State University, as well as San José City College and Evergreen Valley College.
“I was the first generation of my family to have the opportunity to go to college.”