#repreflection

[apiasfrepresent]

By Bo Hwang, APIASF Scholar

Bo James Hwang talks about his journey from living on the street to attending one of the best public universities on a full-ride scholarship. He shares his story to bring hope to those who may not find it within themselves. He seeks to see the beauty in all of his struggles and truly believes that one must "hit rock bottom" to succeed.

[apiasfrepresent]

learning what it means to be successful

By Nguyen Tran, APIASF Scholar

Having attended the 2015 APIASF Higher Education Summit was truly a transformation of my life as well as my personality. I am so appreciative to have had this opportunity which has allowed me to grow up more as a person as well as a responsible student. I would like to say thank you to the whole enthusiastic APIASF team, the keynote speakers, the policy makers, sponsors and the news anchors who spent a fair amount of time to attend the summit and did not hesitate to share their amazing stories despite their tight schedules. As a leader on my campus, I sometimes feel so shy and lack necessary communication skills. Thanks to the APIASF summit, however, I have been able to overcome the challenges of not only being a recent immigrant to America, but also as a financially self-supporting college student. Since I have spent most of my time dedicated exclusively to work and school, being selected to attend the summit gave me a chance to network and build a strong connection with other scholars and professional leaders in the AAPI community. 

Through the stories and advice of Mr. Richard Lui (MSNBC and NBC News Anchor), Mrs. Eun Yang (NBC News Anchor), Mrs. Sachi Koto (CNN News Anchor) and Mr. Jose Garcia (Wells Fargo representative), I learned that “life is not a linear”.  Success does not come to those who don’t put an effort into what they are doing and learn how to go through the hardships and obstacles. 

What plays the most important role in one's success is the mindset one can learn from the stories of each of the panelists, the spirit that they brought to the conference and passed to us, the power to believe that I would be successful if I put enough effort into what I'm doing, and that APIASF is always with me to support. 

It is not good to just put importance on the value of the material assets we have, the money we can make in our future careers, and our attempts to be rich.  Becoming successful means learning life's lessons that helps people overcome the difficulties and the gained experiences throughout the journey. It's not how much money they make that determines whether they are successful.  

Last but not least, I would like to again thank APIASF, especially Ms. Nicole Alonzo and Ms. Alaina Walton for going out of their way to help all scholars arrive at the hotel safely, take care of us like our parents and set up a perfect event for us. Time passes but the unforgettable memories and knowledge I learnt from the summit will be with me forever.