How did your experience at Brown broadly shape you and your goals? What did you concentrate on at Brown, and how has your concentration informed your work and worldview over the past year?

My time at Brown fundamentally shaped me and my goals. I double-concentrated in Economics and International & Public Affairs with a focus on Development. Brown's broad range of classes and passionate professors encouraged me to question the traditional political and economic frameworks I was given and tackle complex global power relationships. I pursued work in the public sphere and found myself consistently drawn to global policy and development as a concept. Although my year in Viet Nam is not over, my education at Brown and the professional experiences it has provided have enabled me to critically analyze the manifestation of global and national inequalities at the local level. I am able to apply my education to observe how, despite rapid development and global inflows of wealth, economic disparities are central to a proclaimed egalitarian country.

Why did you choose to pursue a Fulbright in Viet Nam immediately post-grad? Why specifically did you choose Viet Nam?

I saw Fulbright as an invaluable opportunity to immerse myself in an international context before pursuing a career in global development policy. I chose Viet Nam for personal and professional reasons. As a Vietnamese American who was able to first explore my identity deeply through Brown VSA (shoutout Vietnamese Student Association!), I wanted to spend further time understanding the culture and language. This important cultural identity also informs my professional aspirations to work in Southeast Asia. Viet Nam is growing at a rapid rate and plays a pivotal role in global power structures, especially regarding the United States. Integrating myself into daily life seemed like a necessary step before attempting to do work on a more macro level.

What does your day-to-day look like as an ETA in Viet Nam?

My day-to-day life as an ETA in Viet Nam provides me with a lot of flexibility to explore my community outside of teaching. I usually get up to teach first period at 7 am, and teach 4 or 5 classes before a long lunch break at noon. I live and work at a gifted high school in Southern Vietnam, where students are on campus until 5 pm, so there are always people around (not to mention lots of bugs for me to fight off). In the afternoons, I usually motorbike to a cafe (cafe culture is HUGE in Viet Nam) to do lesson planning and other work. I try to be active by going to the gym, playing volleyball, or walking around the local lake. There’s definitely less social interaction as an ETA than I’m used to, but I try to call friends or get meals with students and teachers every day.

What has been the biggest challenge throughout your Fulbright experience? What has been the most rewarding part?

The biggest challenge has been my “foreigner” status in my community. While everyone is welcoming, my limited language skills and the lack of people in my age range can definitely make the experience feel isolating at times. Paradoxically, the most rewarding part has by far been my interactions with the same community. Teachers in Viet Nam are very respected, and I am given a lot of freedom with my teaching. My hosts and students are exceptionally kind and patient - they help me practice Vietnamese and take me on cultural excursions. I often have people drop by just to give me fruit or local dishes they think I should try. My students are eager to learn and bring invaluable perspectives that challenge me and broaden my worldview.

What have you learned about yourself throughout this opportunity? How do you think this Fulbright will impact your career trajectory going forward?

I’ve had a lot of challenges as a Fulbright ETA and thus many opportunities to reflect and grow. I’ve learned to appreciate my own adaptability, increased my patience, and become extremely comfortable with being uncomfortable. While I was previously aware that many of my preconceptions and ways of thinking are inherently “American”, it is a different thing to consciously realize those differences so starkly. This growth and the appreciation for a global perspective have encouraged me to continue pursuing economic policy internationally. Next year, I plan to pursue my Master’s at the London School of Economics to study under the Department of International Development. Hopefully, I can build my economics skill set and explore work in the public sphere.