By Alyssa Baxter
Anh Nguyễn went home this summer for the first time in almost seven years. Now a 20-year-old senior majoring in business administration, she’s at a crossroads. Born and raised in Ha Noi, Vietnam, she always knew America would be her destination, but where will her home be now?
Nguyễn came to the U.S. on a student visa in 2004 at the age of fourteen. She graduated from United Christian Academy in 2007 and decided on Gordon College to continue her education.
“I did a lot of research and I knew I wanted to go to a Christian school. I wanted to be close to my host family who live in Vermont, so I picked Gordon. Also, when visiting here, I just feel I belong and could make this place my home for the next four years,” she said.
With her December graduation just ahead and her time at Gordon coming to a close, her fears are larger than most future graduates. “At Gordon, I have Christian family and I won’t have that at home. I love the friendship I made in the past three years and just love all of my professors. They loved the students and would do anything to help them learn. They don't care only how well you do in class, but how you can learn to be a better Christian and utilize the gifts you have. They want to prepare you well for the next steps,” she said.
ccording to Arlyne Sargent, Gordon College’s International student advisor, Nguyễn is the only Vietnamese student studying here. Her experiences however are similar to many others.
Like many International students, post-grad life becomes much more complicated. She is not only in search of a job, but must decide on a country for her future. Nguyễn will be going home to Vietnam after graduation and hopes to return to the States for graduate school in July at Bentley, to complete her masters of science in finance.
“It will be easy to leave the U.S., but getting a new visa to come back can be hard. I do have some fear about that,” she said, “ I need to apply to renew my visa as soon as possible, but that is pretty much the worst part of the whole thing.”
According to Travel.State.Gov, to qualify for a student visa, applicants “must have a residence abroad, with no immediate intention of abandoning that residence; intend to depart from the United States upon completion of the course of study; and possess sufficient funds to pursue the proposed course of study.” Applicants must also complete an interview at the US Embassy and have a set of fingerprints taken. Although this process is clearly drawn out, numerous complications such as wait times can interfere with Nguyễn’s plans.
“Even the smallest glitch in their paperwork can send them to the back of the line to wait for hours. The immigration officers have plenty of people in line who are dying to come here, so they have many other options,” said Sargent. “If the student is missing a needed document or even if their passport picture is not printed in color- these can be major problems when trying to obtain a visa,” she said.
Despite the difficulties of obtaining a visa, Nguyễn hopes to return to Vietnam after grad school and start her own business in the investment and business field by age twenty-eight, beating out her parents who started their own business at thirty factoring electric wires. Eventually, she would like to return to the States.
However, her dreams are not the only ones she thinks about. “If my family think I should go back, I would return without any questions and if time and my job allow I would live in both places,” she said. Nguyễn also has an American boyfriend, Dave, who is anxious about what is ahead for the two of them. “Dave try to be supportive, but I know it is hard for him. We did this before this past summer when I went home, but it will be for much longer this time.”
“Having Anh leave is going to be really hard for both of us. Obviously I want her to stay, but it is something we will both have to deal with,” said Dave Huseland, Nguyễn’s boyfriend and also a 21-year-old senior at Gordon College.
“Ever since I've known Anh I've wanted to go to Vietnam with her. I think it would be great to see where she comes from and be able to experience the culture over there. Hopefully I will be able to visit before she comes back for grad school,” said Huseland.
For Nguyễn, home is still in Vietnam, but with all of the obstacles in her path, her final destination is still uncertain. “I hope my family and my job, in time, will show me where I should go.”