[ktvt] Fw: [acb-l] article: graduate ready for new challenges

"Thao Vy" <missyguide@xxxxxxxxxxx> · Fri, 3 Dec 2010 13:15:11 -0500

From: Carl Jarvis 
Sent: Friday, December 03, 2010 10:53 AM
To: acb-l@xxxxxxx 
Subject: [acb-l] article: graduate ready for new challenges

Posted on the WCB list by Cindy VanWinkle.  

Many of you will remember the young Vietnamese girl who received a WCB 
scholarship back in 2000.  Well, I'm on the search to locate her, and in the 
process stumbled upon this article written back in 2007. It's nice to see she 
continued to follow her dream, and will one day return to Vietnam prepared to 
truly make a difference for blind people there.

This article can be found at:
http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/50625/Graduate-ready-for-new-challenges.html

Humanitarian missionaries help woman receive education - despite blindness 
By Jill B. Adair
Church News staff writer 
Published: Saturday, May 26, 2007 

TUCSON, Ariz. - Before graduation from the University of Arizona May 10, 
26-year-old Mai Nguyen stood among a group of people who had been there for her 
during the past nine years as she moved from Vietnam, earned a college 
education despite her blindness and now looks with promise toward her future. 

Photo courtesy Mai Nguyen
Mai Nguyen, center, gathers on her graduation day from the University of 
Arizona with the many people -- including senior missionaries -- who made her 
education possible. Mai, who is blind, received a master's degree.
Her support group is mainly senior LDS humanitarian missionaries from 
throughout the U.S. who served in Vietnam in the late 1990s. Each, who was 
touched by Mai's spirit and abilities, had a feeling that she had a special 
purpose and took an interest in her and helped her achieve her goals. Each one 
also made the trip to be with her on graduation day. 

Mai was born to rice farmers and because of limited educational opportunities 
for the blind, started school at age 12. However, at 15, she had already taught 
herself English by listening to radio broadcasts. 

Elder John H. Groberg of the Seventy met her when he was serving as Asia Area 
president and was impressed with Mai and her abilities. 

"I thought, 'There's a brilliant mind; it should be utilized"' he said. 

Mai had entered an English-speaking contest in which Sister Joan Woodward was 
helping as a judge. Missionaries serving in Vietnam aren't allowed to 
proselyte, but they can teach English. Sister Woodward offered to tutor Mai 
and, being touched by her spirit, took a special interest in this young woman. 

"I knew that (Mai) was the reason I had been sent to Vietnam," said Sister 
Woodward. 

When Sister Woodward neared the completion of her missionary service, she 
introduced Mai to Elizabeth "Jerry" Jones and her companion, Marie "M.D." 
Aplanalp, who were new missionaries. 

The sister missionaries and another couple, Hal and Davona Davis, under Elder 
Groberg's direction, continued teaching Mai and, realizing the limited 
opportunities for education and employment Mai would have in Vietnam, worked 
toward bringing her to the United States. 

Elder Groberg said generally missionaries aren't supposed to bring people home 
with them from their missions, but in Mai's case he felt an exception was 
needed. 

"You could say it was a spiritual premonition," he said. "We needed to give her 
a chance." 

"It was a good thing," he added, "For her and for the cause in Vietnam." 

It took nearly 18 months to make arrangements, help Mai get a passport and find 
financial support, but when Sister Jones returned home to North Carolina in 
1998, Mai was with her, leaving in Vietnam her family which was supportive of 
her new opportunity. 

The local paper in Littleton, N.C., had been printing Sister Jones' missionary 
letters, detailing her experiences in Vietnam and her efforts to bring Mai to 
the U.S., so the small community was excited to meet the 17-year-old girl and 
support her in her educational goals, even sponsoring a golf tournament to 
raise funds. 

Mai attended the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, Pa., living at 
the school but spending one weekend a month with Sister Jones. 

Sister Jones said Mai worked hard, excelled in school and also learned to play 
the piano. 

The next year Mai moved to Elma, Wash., to live with Sister Woodward while 
attending Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver. As an 
international student, she could only attend one year and wasn't able to 
graduate with her peers because of a lack of credits. However, because of her 
outstanding grades, she was asked to be the school's valedictorian. 

She went on to South Puget Sound Community College, where she continued to 
excel even though blind materials were limited and Sister Woodward read aloud 
most of Mai's studies. 

Sister Woodward, who has four children, eight grandchildren and two great- 
grandchildren, considers Mai part of her own family. 

An article ran in the newspaper explaining that Mai's educational funds were 
running out. A local couple, Ralph and Susan Gilbert, read the article and 
offered to pay Mai's tuition as she finished her associate degree and went on 
to earn her undergraduate degree at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, 
Wash. 

Upon graduating with honors, she was offered a full-ride scholarship to the 
University of Arizona to attend a two-year master's program in Special 
Education, with emphasis in teaching the visually impaired. The only blind 
student in the program, she earned a 3.8 GPA out of a possible 4.0. 

In Tucson she met another missionary. This time it was Diana Martin, a CES 
missionary from California, who has two blind children of her own. Sister 
Martin helped Mai, who lived alone in an apartment near campus, with shopping 
and errands. 

Mai is grateful for all those who have helped her. 

"Without the help I received, I would never have gotten this far," she said. 
"It would have been impossible." 

Through donations, she has also been able to return home several times to visit 
her family. 

Mai said she and her family are traditionally Buddhist, like nearly 95 percent 
of Vietnamese. "I believe that the Lord has had a hand in (my life)," she said. 
"There has been a higher power guiding me and directing me." 

During graduation activities, she asked for a priesthood blessing from John 
Henrie, of St. George, Utah, who, along with his wife, Carolyn, were directors 
for humanitarian service in Vietnam and also became closely associated with 
Mai. 

Sister Henrie said it has been a joy to see change in Mai's life. "She has 
developed the ability to help other people," she said. "And for all the people 
that she met along the way; there were no coincidences." 

Mai is applying for jobs and plans to teach blind students, staying in the U.S. 
for at least five years as part of her scholarship agreement. "I want to help 
others like I have received help," she said. "It's a good way for me to pay 
back." 

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[ktvt] Fw: [acb-l] article: graduate ready for new challenges

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