#uvsamidwest

[anhjames]

Third #UNAVSA ✅ | I was given the privilege to room with the best. #nocoastmidwest #unavsa14 #TeamH&Associates #uvsamidwest #neworleans (at New Orleans, Louisiana)

[via1]

What Do I Wear For VIA-1?!?!

WHAT DO I WEAR FOR VIA-1?!?!

Andrea Pham and Andy Pham Cousin Collaboration

In a culture that constantly shifts the paradigm of fashion, we have developed a spectrum of dress codes. On Friday upon arrival and Sunday upon departure, most people wear school spirit wear or t-shirts and comfy travel clothes (easy peasy). However on Saturday at VIA-1, there will be two different dress codes: business casual and semi-formal.

Business casual has a very loose definition, so let’s look at what’s been done before (at Leadership Summit at UIUC, Oct 2015):

We want to help develop young professionals to be ready for the future, and it can start with the way you present yourself! From Business Casual to Business Professional, this is where you want to look like you're ready to network with people, learn, and open the door to greater opportunities.

Workshop Wear Suggestions:

Don’t know what to wear? Here are our go-to options:

Khaki, navy, or black pants or pencil skirts

Dark-colored sweater or cardigan on top of a colorful dress shirt

Solid colored or patterned dress with a blazer

Business wear is conservative. If you would wear it to the club, you probably shouldn’t wear it to workshops!

It’s always safe to wear a belt that’s the same color as your shoes.

Pockets are nice. Wear something with pockets.

Don’t forget to press and iron your clothes -- our hotel rooms will have the equipment, so use it!

Alright! It’s photoshoot and banquet time.

For guys: This is what you’ve kept your secret and favorite suit for - to impress! Comb back that hair, tighten that tie or maybe even break out a bowtie! It’s a night where once a year you dress to the nines! (Semi-Formal to Formal):

For the ladies: You know you have that semi-formal dress hiding in your closet, waiting to be worn, waiting to be seen. Curl your hair, get your eyebrows to do that fleek thing, and throw on something sparkly. This would also be a great opportunity to get cultural and wear a beautiful áo dài!

Whatever you decide to pack, be confident and be your true self. We can’t wait to see you all at VIA-1 in Madison, Wisconsin!

[via1]

Top 5 Madison Restaurant Picks

Rubric: Taste of food, originality, spacing, pricing, distance from hotel

1. Ian’s Pizza

Suggested Food Items: Mac & Cheese and Pizza

You can never go wrong with pizza, but there’s a twist! Ever had smoked brisket or quesadilla on your pizza? Ian’s Pizza is a mad genius when it comes to the Italian pie. They’re always concocting up with the craziest ideas! Barely a walk, so if you’re looking a quick place to grab a slice - Ian’s would be a top choice!

2. Soga Shabu Shabu

Suggested Food Item: All the meat

Let’s be honest, who doesn’t like to do family-style dinner? This Asian fusion restaurant is where everyone just dives into one hot pot or multiple ones. Easy, interactive, and fun dinner! Your friend is going to ask, “What do I do?”, You: “Just do it!” Barely a 5 minute walk from the hotel and huge space for everyone to sit!

3. Tutto’s Pasta

Suggested Food Item: Chicken Alfredo

Feeling a bit fancy? Want something better than Olive Garden that’s Italian and not breaking the bank? Tutto’s Pasta is where you want to be then. Their risotto and pasta are on point, and their sauces are not too heavy either! There’s huge spacing down in their basement so seating wouldn’t be a problem - make reservations though!

4. Graze

Suggested Food Item: Bibimbap Burrito and Cheese Curds

Kind of fancy, sharing friendly, good prices, decent seating, and cheese curds! Little farther than the places mentioned but well worth it! Classical American cuisine and a renowned Madison restaurant pick! Highly recommend to make a reservation, because this place gets packed! For a good reason too~

5. DRAGON-I!

Suggested Food Item: Everything

Hands down best restaurant and greatest for Madison to offer! The best place for seating.

6. The Parthenon Gyros Restaurant

Suggested Food Item: Mega Gyro and Cheese Fries

We were kidding about the last one by the way but still standing by that Dragon-I has the best seating. Anyways! Here is where you want to go when you just want to grab a quick bite. They have great Gyros (however you want to pronounce it), nevertheless, this place is really good for fast Greek food! Also pretty solid place for seating!

Madison, Wisconsin has food to suit everyone’s taste! We hope that this list helps you determine where you want to eat when you are here for the 14th Annual VIA-1 Conference!

[uvsamidwest-blog]

Monthly Hashtag - March

How has VSA been your lucky charm?

Share your memories with #LuckyVSA

[via1]

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

[uvsamidwest-blog]

Note From Your Internal Vice-President

Bare with me, this will be a VERY long post. As my term as Internal Vice President comes to an end, I want to share my story with the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest (UVSA-Midwest).

Let’s take a long trip back in time to my freshman year. Growing up in a strong Vietnamese community, I was interested in keeping touch with my roots. From learning about Vietnamese Student Association (VSA), I was excited to be a part of the VSA at the University of Cincinnati (UC). However, during the 2011-2012 school year, there was no active VSA. As the autumn semester ended, I learned about the 10th Annual Vietnamese Interacting as One Conference (VIA-1), which was to be hosted at UC in March 2012. This is when my UVSA-Midwest journey started. Since there was no active VSA, I didn’t know what neither UVSA-Midwest nor VIA-1 were. I was neither an attendee nor conference staff. My sorority was asked to help out. My first step into the conference was as a workshop shepherd. The conference itself was more than I had imagined. I met people from schools all across the Midwest. It was very eye opening.

Fast forward to the summer, I wanted to attend a Vietnamese conference as an attendee. With my luck, Summer 2012 was the 9th Annual UNAVSA Conference in Minneapolis, MN. I remember braving the 14 hour drive with 4 other OSU VSA members. I was able to meet other VSA members from other regions. This is a great part of being in VSA. You grow connections with people from all across your region and the nation. After the conference, OSU VSA President at the time recommended me to fill the spot of UVSA-Midwest Ohio’s State Representative for the second half of the term due to the resignation of the previous state rep. If you do not know, each position of UVSA-Midwest Executive Board (Eboard) and Council of State Representative (CoSR) is a 2-year term. I was excited to run for the position. It wasn’t until the spring after that I learned that I wanted to do more with UVSA-Midwest. I reran for Ohio’s State Representative at the 11th Annual VIA-1 Conference in Iowa.

Being a part of CoSR, I learned the behind the scenes of event planning and the foundation of UVSA-Midwest. My goal as state rep was to restart UC VSA. I am happy to say that they are doing exceptionally well now. I am proud at how active and involved they are within Ohio and in UVSA-Midwest. If you did not know, I transferred to The Ohio State University Autumn 2013. This was the year that OSU was chosen to host the 12th Annual VIA-1 Conference. As an active member of UVSA-Midwest staff, I knew I wanted to do more. I became co-Executive Director for the VIA-1 conference. To be honest, it was the toughest year in my college career. As many do not know, I was also the interim UVSA-Midwest Secretary that year. This is where my interest in being a part of Eboard started. I cut my second CoSR term short and ran for Internal Vice President during conference. During that time, I knew Diane, Jason, and Lynn from previous UVSA-Midwest events and being on staff with them. I have to say that we have accomplished many things together as a board.

Some of my accomplishments as IVP during my 2-year term are the expansion of the Midwest region and the restructuring of CoSR [elections, etc.]. I am proud to see Midwest grow and become more connected.  We stand at 9 states strong (IA, IN, IL, KY, MI, MN, MO, OH, WI) and with new VSAs every year. I am also very proud of my CoSR kiddies. As IVP, I oversee the Council of State Representatives. I was fortunate to work with 2 different terms of CoSR (2013-2015 and 2015-2017). Both consist of very dedicated, passionate, student leaders. The duties of IVP are not to be taken lightly. With CoSR, the IVP coordinates Summer Extravaganza, Leadership Summit, and many other projects. I want to thank all of them for being amazing. You all have made my term as IVP a memorable one. ♥

TL;DR – If you feel unsure about attending an event, such as the VIA-1 Conference, it only takes one step in front of the other to start a journey. You never know whom you will meet and what will inspire you to be a better person than you already are. UVSA-Midwest was a significant part of my college career (4 out of 5 years). I know I will use the skills and connections I have learned and made in my future endeavors. I hope you will consider being a part of the UVSA-Midwest family.

Much love,

UVSA-Midwest IVP

Linda Nguyen

https://via1.wufoo.com/forms/uvsamidwest-executive-board-application/

[uvsamidwest-blog]

Monthly Hashtag - February

Love is in the air. What do you love about VSA?

Share your memories with #LoveVSA

[uvsamidwest-blog]

A Note from Your Treasurer

How did I end up being UVSA-Midwest’s Treasurer? Why Treasurer? It all really started at my very first year of involvement. I joined VSAM and many other student orgs on campus as a freshman, and I attended my very first VIA-1 in 2013 at the University of Iowa.. I got to meet so many new people who were both influential and passionate. It was just such a mind-blowing year coming from a town where there is minimal diversity to a college where I could specifically interact with organizations like UVSA-MW. Since VIA-1 had such a huge impact, I got involved with the Registration Committee for the next VIA-1 at Columbus, Ohio. Being on a staff committee provided a whole new perspective because I knew little about how VIA-1 was actually planned. I remembered that year I set a goal to run for Treasurer. One might ask why Treasurer out of all the positions. A simple answer: It’s not easy; it’s a challenge. I love working with excel sheets and budgets. It is something I am good at and like to continuously work with. I saw so much work each and every individual put into this community to spread culture awareness, raise countless of dollars, and most importantly make a difference. It was definitely an inspirational goal for myself. At the time, I just turned 18. I was aware of my age, lack of experience, and lack of confidence. I decided that at the very next E-Board election, I would run for Treasurer. How was I going to do that? I would have to work hard and get more experience of being a Treasurer. Not only would I have to learn to be a Treasurer, but a great team player. The past VIA-1 I did the riskiest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I applied to be a Family Leader. It was not easy to hit the submit button because it was not a goal of mine originally. I was afraid that I might not be the best family leader. I was terrified, but I kept seeing the applications pop up over and over. I know that UVSA-MW has opened its arms to me. I should not have been afraid of what would happen to me. I realized I needed to open up to others by lending my shoulder and listening. I did it! It was the best experience ever. From then on, I knew that my fear was not going to make the best of me, but what I was willing to take the risk for that mattered most. Do I regret it? Of course not! It’s one of the best decision I’ve made. This concept ties back to all the VIA-1 conferences I have been attending where people made a difference in my life. From that very day, people have continued to change my life for the better. Some just don’t know. Shortly after this year’s VIA-1, the current Treasurer resigned. I thought to myself, “Is this fate for me to run for Treasurer?” It was now or never. Some people brought this opportunity up to me.. I thought of it over and over from day to night about 9000 miles from Minnesota while I was in London. After thinking it over and over, somewhere in my gut, I knew it was my time. I filled out the application and ran for the position. Even though this position was only for half of a year, I’ve learned and grown so much from this leadership position. What does it take to be a great Treasurer and team member of UVSA-Midwest? I’d say passion is the most important thing to being a great team member. Without passion, the work isn’t high quality. Time is the next most important thing, because you spend so much time on conference calls planning events and running the organization. Organizational skills and understanding finance are extremely vital characteristics to being a great Treasurer. The best parts of being involved with UVSA-MW are the people, travelling, and the knowledge that the hard work we do is for the betterment of our community.

-Moony

https://via1.wufoo.com/forms/uvsamidwest-executive-board-application/