By Reese Meister
Observant—the first word sophomore Vy Nguyen uses to describe herself. With quite apparent curiosity and passion for exploring, it is no wonder that she seeks to write news stories during her first year in Baron Banner.
“I don’t really like to make judgments right off the bat, and I feel like that helps me a lot in life–just be willing to absorb everything from everyone,” Nguyen said. “It’s just really interesting to find out about the world.”
Nguyen plans to couple this skill set with her passion for writing to inform students of what’s happening around them. She understands that many high school students often do not have the time or resources to seek out news on their own.
“You know, I’ve always really loved writing. It’s one of the only subjects I’ve loved pretty much since childhood,” Nguyen said. “Journalism—I feel like it’s just really special because it brings the news to the people, which is really difficult for students who are often really busy.”
Outside of Baron Banner, Nguyen experiments with a bit of creative writing through short stories and poems. However, writing is not the only one of Nguyen’s passions. She characterizes herself as “intellectually curious,” especially when it comes to biology and medicine.
“My freshman year, I found out I really liked biology after joining a few medical clubs like Medical Society and Project Vietnam, which actually helps a lot with health care for the Vietnamese community,” Nguyen said. “I’m thinking about becoming pre-med, and also did a program over the summer dealing with anatomy and neurology…It was really interesting. I love it so much.”
Nguyen is also a member of California Scholarship Federation and secretary of the Universal Catholic Leadership and Service Team, a club affiliated with Holy Spirit Church. She values the “close-knit community” and the opportunity to volunteer.
“I’m really passionate about just finding any clubs that [are] volunteering based, [where] you reach out to people–clubs that help the underserved minorities,” Nguyen said.
After school, Nguyen dedicates time to dancing as well. Despite (or perhaps because of) her many interests, Nguyen does not have any set plans for the future. She expressed her opinion that “it’s best to keep an open mind.”
In her free time, Nguyen enjoys relaxing activities like watching a good show or movie.
“I feel like when we go through like our school days, it’s too much [of an] information overload. So I just…want to do mindless activities as much as possible,” Nguyen said. “A recently really good movie that I watched was “Fatherhood” starring Kevin Hart…It may be borderline bad, but it’s just really funny to watch.”
Nguyen loves pop music, including a bit of K-pop recommended by her friends. She has listened to some BTS, ATEEZ and Stray Kids, smiling as she described it as “top notch music.”
As for food, Nguyen loves hu tieu, a Vietnamese noodle dish. This deep appreciation stems from her roots in Saigon where she was born.
Like hu tieu, Nguyen’s mom has also been an ever-present support throughout her life. Nguyen has always looked to her mom as a guiding figure. She describes her mom as “easy going,” though will jokingly admit that she may trust Nguyen with too much freedom.
“I think if I had to choose between anyone, like famous or just personal to me, I would always pick my mom. It’s kind of a cliche answer, but…she’s my primary figure that’s always been there for me. She does so much for us,” Nguyen said. “She’s the best. I love her.”
Nguyen looks forward to contributing to Baron Banner this year and gaining more experience in journalism, no doubt accomplishing her goal of bringing news to the community.
“I’m really excited for being able to publish stories and to receive the feedback from other people,” Nguyen said. “I haven’t published anything [yet]…got to interview people or to go outside and get real stories, which is so exciting to me.”