My Grandfather

Imagine being in control of life. Imagine hard work and dedication bringing success and satisfaction. Then imagine losing everything and being forced to rebuild life from step one. That is my grandfather's story. It is the tale of an ordinary man put up to an extraordinary test who has striven and persevered for the sake of his family. His incredible accomplishments have inspired me to pursue my dreams of becoming a doctor. John Calvin Coolidge said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” As immensely talented, ingenious, and well-educated as my grandfather was and still is, his true test in life required a great deal of determination, a trait that I find important to embrace in order to be successful.

In April 1975, my grandfather, Dr. Tin Le, grandmother, Hai Le, and their five children fled Vietnam on the very last flight to the United States. Tin Le was a paratrooper in South Vietnam who fought with the South Vietnamese and alongside Americans. Before the war, he was a prominent surgeon who lived a privileged lifestyle and was accustomed to maids, cooks, and chauffeurs. As he watched his county, his home, and his life disappear into faded flames and smoke from the safety of a military helicopter, he then knew that he would have to bid the glories of his hard work goodbye. The sweetness of a lucky escape would only last him until he set foot on American soil where he would face the challenges of being the “new kid on the block”.

Arriving at a refugee camp in Missouri, my grandfather was officially a new man. He had nothing to his name other than a couple hundred dollars and the inability to speak the English language. Tin sold his million dollar home for mere pocket change during the fall of...