Thuy Vy Thi Luu

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"‘I did my best is the excuse I never allow because to me, there is nothing called ‘my best’. The harder we strive, the more we achieve; if we don't push ourselves to the edge, we never learn our real capabilities.”

  • Program: 2012 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Recipient
  • Hometown: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Biography

Profile: Thuy Vy Luu, who came to America from her native Vietnam in 2009, excelled academically at Honolulu’s Kapi'olani Community College (KCC). She was a committed student who loved to be challenged by her professors and was active in both the community and on campus. At KCC, she organized a World AIDS Day event and in the Honolulu community co-organized and participated in beach clean-up days, in addition to volunteering at science education outreach events at local  organizations. She also became an officer of Phi Theta Kappa which opened more doors for her to provide service to others. Besides heavy acadmeic courseloads at school and leadership responsibilities, Vy carried out her scientific research projects under the mentorship of researchers and professors as an scholar intern of the the C-MORE Scholars Program at the University of Hawaii, a competitive academic research experience program for undergraduates interested in the earth and ocean sciences.

Inspiration: Herve Collin, Maria Bautista, and Kadala Roger at KCC, who were always approachable, answered questions, and provided help, made an impression on Vy. Professionally, Vy was most influenced by Brian Green and Brian Cox. “I want to be like them, doing research and traveling around the world to discuss their results in a way everybody can understand.”
 
Aspiration: Vy wants to become an astrophysicist.  “From the moment I watched a documentary in a physics lecture in high school and saw the universe for the first time, I knew this is what I would spend my entire life studying. To me, no word can describe the extraordinary beauty of the universe, yet its properties and constituents are even more amazing
 
Making a Difference: Vy’s assistance as a tutor and mentor to other struggling students is a big “difference maker” to those she helps. 
 
Accolades: In 2012, Vy was named a New Century Scholar, the same year she was designated a Guistwhite Scholar. The year before, her awards included being recognized as a Leader of Promise Scholar.
 
Interesting Fact: It took Vy more time to learn English than Chinese despite the fact that Vietnamese and English both use the same alphabet.

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