Tuong Dang

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“My father told me being poor is not the problem but rather being uneducated is. Growing up, my father has always reminded me that money is not important because there will always be chances to earn more money. On the other hand, education is something that becomes harder to obtain with age.”

  • Program: 2009 College Scholarship Recipient
  • Resides: Silver Spring, MD
  • Hometown: Silver Spring, MD
  • Age: 20

Biography

Highlights of Young Scholar Experience: Tuong attended a summer session in creative writing and photography at Phillips Academy in Massachusetts her first summer as a Young Scholar. Her last summer she was in New England again, but this time at Yale University studying psychology and comparative world democracies. In between there was a six-week program in South Korea sponsored by Youth for Understanding where she attended Korean language and culture classes.

Profile: Tuong Dang was born into a family of farmers in Vietnam. Her father, who fought for the South Vietnamese Army, was imprisoned after the war ended in the 1970s. Tuong was only five when her family came to the United States. One of Tuong’s most prized possessions is a photo of her and her mother on the ship heading to their new country. Once in the US, the Dang family settled near Washington, DC in a modest neighborhood. The first schools she attended “did not foster higher learning” and had limited resources. Her father, even at a very early age, encouraged Tuong to give extra effort. “I think that I have always been hard working and focused because I witnessed what my parents had to go through to provide me with an education. My hard work definitely paid off.” Tuong distinguished herself academically and in extracurricular activities at Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland. 

Inspiration: Tuong credits Patricia Carballo, her freshman history teacher at Einstein High School, for helping her develop as a student and person. “She made history a fun and interesting topic.”

Aspiration: International relations is the area Tuong hopes to make her mark in.

Making a Difference: Tuong has given an incredible amount of time to service groups at her high school and within the Vietnamese community in the Washington, DC area. Key Club, Environmental Club, Asian American LEAD, and the Einstein Literary Magazine are a few of the organizations she has been involved with. In addition, Tuong performed traditional Vietnamese dances for audiences throughout Maryland, Virginia and DC.

Accolades:  Tuong is a member of the National Honor Society at Einstein. She also performed a Vietnamese cultural dance for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she was serving in the United States Senate.

Interesting fact: Tuong is a dentist’s dream. “I really dislike candy, soda and all sweets in general.” 

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