#uvsa-mw

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VIA-1 Valentines

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

I hope you’re having a great time with your Valentine today. But if you aren’t, here’s a cute article for you to look at instead of your Valentine’s disgusting chocolate-covered face.

Here are the people and types of people you’ll meet at VIA-1:

1. The Hypebeast: There’s always that one guy who wears Jordan’s with his business casual attire on Saturday. (Phillip Tran - Marketing Director)

2. The Artsy One: Singers, dancers, actors, artists, etc. (Jimy Nguyen - KY State Rep, Jacklyn Ho - Entertainment Director)

3. The Blonde: They’re pretty easy to find. (Thanh Johnson - IA State Rep, Kevin Vimonkhon - Multimedia Director)

4. The “Athelete”: They’re not who you think they are. (UW-Madison - KAVSA)

5. The Bear: You won’t miss Todd, Little Bear, or Maxi! (Or Jen Nguyen - Former VIA-1 ED, Jill Tran - MN State Rep, and Lil Tran - MI State Rep)

6. The Sweetheart: Their smiles will make you swoon. (Ralphie Tran - IL Co-State Rep, Liz Nguyen - OH State Rep, Julia Bui - MO State Rep)

7. The Future Millionaire: Be sure to network with those business majors, science majors, and alums! (Vi Vo - IL Co-State Rep, Andy Pham - VIA-1 ED, and Tan Bui WI State Rep)

8. The Photographer: Don’t hide from them! They take the pics because you’re cute! (Terry Le, Krist Chhuom)

9. The Power Couple: The people that are super involved with VSA but also pretty involved with each other too. (Randy Huynh - IT Director and Kim Chung - VIA-1 ED)

10. Your Future Bae: I’m not even joking. Here are two amazing couples who met at VIA-1 conferences. (Kat Le and Taylor Banh - 2013 VIA-1 and now, Cindy Dao and Nathan Giang - 2015 VIA-1 and now)

These are only a few of the lovely kinds of people that will be at VIA-1 this year in Madison, Wisconsin. Come meet everyone and maybe you’ll even find your future sweetheart!

Written by Andrea Pham

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Cheese Curds 101

The 14th Annual VIA-1 Conference is hosted in Madison, Wisconsin this year, and this is the perfect opportunity for you to change your life forever..one cheese curd at a time.

For all you out of towners, you may be wondering, “What in the world is this phenomenon known as a cheese curd?”  

A cheese what?

It’s just cheese, right?

Wrong.

It’s cheese taken to the next level. They’re deep fried gooey squeaky golden nuggets of heaven. Oh, so you’re lactose-intolerant you say? Destroying toilets from these glorious balls of deliciousness will be completely worth it. Trust me.

So where can you get cheese curds in this cheese city? Have no fear. We’ve listed the top 5 places for you to get your cheese curd fix on for the weekend!

Curd Girl

Graze

Tipsy Cow

OSS

Old Fashioned

I urge you to attend this year’s VIA-1 Conference and experience the glory that is known as the cheese curd while attending an amazing conference.

Your life will be changed forever.

Written by Angie Ngo

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13 Thoughts and Feelings You’ll Have as a First Time Attendee

We all know that VIA-1 is coming soon. Everyone is posting about it. What’s so special about it? Well, there’s a reason for all the Hype!

If you don’t know what happens during the conference, here’s some information about what goes on!

The Vietnamese Interacting As One Conference is a conference where people come together to share their experiences as Vietnamese Americans, to learn about Vietnamese Culture, and to create lasting friendships from across the Midwest. Relationships are built through family activities, unity is strengthened through raising money for the collective philanthropy, and knowledge is gained from attending cultural and leadership based workshops. It is an experience from the minute you walk in and check in on Friday evening until the last goodbyes said to each other on Sunday afternoon.

Here are some moments that you’ll be having. :)

1. WHO ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE AND HOW DO THEY ALL KNOW EACH OTHER.

You’re so overwhelmed with everyone running around saying hello to each other.

2. I am an awkward turtle that doesn’t know what to do and where to go.

Oh gosh can I hide somewhere, I don’t know what I’m doing.

3. OH, I SEE MY FAMILY MEMBERS. HELLO FAMILY.

THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE I’VE ACTUALLY TALKED TO OMG.

4. Maybe this isn’t so bad!

Hey, these family games aren’t so bad at all. They’re actually really fun.

5. WE ARE WINNING NO MATTER WHAT.

When you get comfortable enough to get mad competitive.

6. WOW, these performances are amazing. Also, this CPP thing is so fun to watch.

Watching these people perform is so cool. Also, I wonder how spicy that salsa really is…

7. Workshops? I’m nervous…

Waking up and separating from familiar people to go meet more people and obtain more knowledge. Gosh, I’m nervous.

8. Oh, wow. This workshop presenter is amazing. I want to be like them.

Leaving a workshop and thinking to yourself…one day I want to be knowledgeable like them.

9. I feel so inspired.

I want to get out of my comfort and put in effort into what I do. I finally understand why I am here.

10. I FEEL SO CONNECTED AND I CAN RELATE TO EVERYONE.

WHERE HAVE THESE PEOPLE BEEN ALL MY LIFE.

11. Banquet Dinner? Wow, everyone truly is drop dead gorgeous. Wow.

HER DRESS, HER HAIR, HIS SUIT AND TIE. WOW.

12. Saturday Night? Time to have fun with all the new friends I made this weekend!

You successfully completed the main events, and now for some fun and relaxation!

13. I SWEAR I’VE KNOWN EVERYONE MY WHOLE LIFE, I DON’T WANT TO SAY GOODBYE, BUT THIS WON’T BE THE LAST TIME. SEE YOU AGAIN SOON. <3

At this point you’re already planning for the next time you see each other again, but you’re still unwilling to say goodbye so you linger just a little longer.

Written by Thanh Johnson