First-generation college student presents research

By Janet Ng

U.C. Berkeley educates a variety of students. Some have dreamed of attending the school since they were born, others didn’t even think they would make it to college. Earlier this month, a number of first-generation university students presented their research to faculty, family and friends at the 2001 California McNair Scholars Symposium.

A senior at Berkeley this fall, Tam Bui, 20, is one of the participants in the research program. A native of Sacramento and the oldest of five kids, Bui had few role models growing up.

“My parents escaped from Vietnam, and were poor. They didn’t go to school. I guess…[others] didn’t expect much from me,” she said. “My parents were so excited when I got into Berkeley.”

The McNair Scholars Program is federally funded at 156 universities in 42 states, including Puerto Rico. Named after the late Ronald E. McNair, an astronaut and laser physicist who died in the 1984 explosion of the Challenger space shuttle, the year-long program is designed to encourage future Ph.D. candidates in their chosen field. In the fall, the program recruits first-generation, low-income and traditionally underrepresented students. In the spring and summer, the scholars design and implement their own research under the guidance of a mentor. Scholars receive $2,500 research stipends.

An article by U.C. Berkeley professor AnnaLee Saxenian about Indian and Chinese immigrants in Silicon Valley inspired Bui’s interest in the Vietnamese population there.

“I was curious to see how the Vietnamese in the San Jose area were affected by the growth in the Silicon Valley,” Bui said. In an interesting twist, Saxenian read Bui’s grant proposal, and decided to become her mentor.

Bui’s research examined whether the Vietnamese community networked as closely as Chinese and Indian communities did. She learned much more than just research, however.

“I got a chance to speak to an amazing group of people who had so many hardships and achieved so much despite these barriers,” she said. “They gave me a sense that I had nothing to lose, and they taught me to look toward my goals and achieve them.”

She added: “Only recently has my family reached a sense of security, financially and culturally. They had to struggle to adjust to American society.”

The McNair Scholars Program has also given Bui the conviction to pursue graduate education.

“I have grown so much and gotten so much out of it,” she said. “It gave me the confidence to even apply to grad school. I had the support of the program and people believing in me.”

Bui is majoring in political economy of industrialized societies, and hopes to graduate this spring. She plans to do graduate study in international relations and regional development. Bui not only relishes her participation as part of the scholars program, but also her experience as a student in college.

“I always had a personal and academic interest in Vietnam and the Vietnamese community, but I never really had a tool or method to pursue them… [College] has encouraged me to be proactive in my Vietnam interest.”