The Freshman Spotlight: Vivian Thuy Vi Nguyen

By Cecilia Jeong ’21

In this latest Freshman Spotlight column, The Bamboo is pleased to feature another talented freshman: Vivian Thuy Vi Nguyen. The Class of 2021 is extremely unique, driven and diverse; this column seeks to share more about our newest Pandas! Here’s a closer look at Nguyen’s story.

Vivian Nguyen, a current writer and contributor for The Bamboo, has been involved with newspapers long before she came to IH. At her previous school, she was a member of her school’s newspaper organization. In addition to being an amazing writer, Vivian loves to involve herself in academics. In middle school, she placed 5th in the Social Studies category of her annual Academic Decathlon competition, an event that features many different Catholic schools! And this year, Vivian joined the ranks of the Immaculate Heart Speech and Debate team — already bringing home multiple awards and trophies for her performances in the Lincoln Douglas category. Vivian placed First Speaker in the novice division at the Harvard Westlake Tournament, and she is already competing as a Varsity debater at certain tournaments. This amazing freshman doesn’t stop at being academically accomplished; she is also a student-athlete and swims for the Rosemead Rapids Swim Team.

A cheerful and wise freshman, Nguyen is passionate about many things, but also reflective. “For the longest time I’ve aspired to become an orthodontist or someone in the medical field,” she said, “but the more I thought about it I realized that it’s better to pursue what you want right now. You don’t have to be so sure of your future, and that’s okay.”

When asked about pursuing her interests at IH, Nguyen responded, “Every opportunity [at Immaculate Heart] is within my grasp because older Pandas make it very available for me to mature and have those learning opportunities for my academic career.”

She also includes a message for aspiring debaters: “Being a debater is a role I am glad to call my own, and I will love nothing more than to teach you about the power that a girl’s voice can have upon the world — and power is a power too often underestimated.”

As a writer and a debater, Nguyen has gained confidence in her abilities. And being confident, she noted, is most valuable in her pursuits. She also sees this confident quality in the Immaculate Heart school community, where everyone is outspoken, yet always aware and, “sensitive to the needs of others,” she said.