Columbia College Today

Nhu-Y Ngo ’09 (right) talked to David Zhou ’10 about the voter registration form on October 20 at the Korean Harvest “Chu-Suk” Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. Columbia’s Asian American Alliance, along with the Korean American League for Civic Action and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, registered voters that day.

PHOTO: Marilla Li ’10 Barnard

If the rule is that watching too much television impedes a child’s ability to succeed in life, then Nhu-Y Ngo ’09 certainly is an exception.

Ngo was born in Vietnam and was 3 when her parents immigrated to the United States, sponsored by a family in Lincoln, Neb., through Catholic Social Services. Ngo’s family has lived in the Cornhusker State ever since.

Growing up, Ngo admits to spending many hours in front of the television while her parents worked long hours as meat cutters and factory workers to support their family. “I know all about ’90s trivia,” she says, laughing

As the first member of her family to attend college, Ngo has plenty to laugh and smile about. But gaining admission to Columbia was only half the battle; paying for an Ivy League education without taking on significant debt was the next challenge.

“I knew if I wanted to go [to Columbia] I would have to pay my own way,” says Ngo, the oldest of four children.

Determined not to let the opportunity to get a Columbia education slip past her, Ngo applied for a slew of scholarships and was rewarded for her diligence with more than 30, including the Gates Millennium Scholarship, which pays for her tuition. She also is a Jackie Robinson/Coca-Cola Scholar, which provides her with financial assistance and mentorship opportunities.

In August 2005, Ngo boarded a plane for the Big Apple. She had never been to New York City prior to arriving for freshman orientation. Though supportive of their daughter’s decision, Ngo’s parents could not afford to travel with her. “That trip is probably the farthest I have gone alone,” she notes.

Ngo’s academic pursuits played an important role in her choosing Columbia. Although she arrived intending to major in political science and Asian-American studies, her goals have since changed; she now is a history major and a political science concentrator.

“In high school, my most influential teacher was my history teacher. He wrote my letter of recommendation for Columbia and encouraged me to come here,” says Ngo, who is particularly interested in the formation of immigrant communities and the Civil Rights Movement. “In poli sci classes, I found that I was usually most interested in the historical background.”

Ngo has considered attending law school to pursue a degree in public interest law. She is convinced that she wants to use the knowledge she has acquired at Columbia to assist immigrant communities like the one she grew up in. “I could use my skills and this privilege that I’ve been given to give back to where I came from,” she says. Ngo is particularly concerned with improving issues of language to facilitate civic participation. “There are many immigrants who want to vote but do not understand the technical language on ballots,” she observes.

Ngo interned last summer at the voting section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Her work revolved around lawsuits involving Section 5, which requires that voting procedures employed by different states are compliant with the Voting Rights Act. While in the capital, Ngo also worked for Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote, a nonprofit organization that encourages civic participation within that community.

During the 2007 spring break, Ngo traveled to the Dominican Republic with Columbia’s Rotaract Club to work on issues of education and drug use with the youth of Yamasa, a village outside the capital of Santo Domingo.

Yet for someone with so many accomplishments under her belt, Ngo is not lacking in modesty. “I feel I wouldn’t be so involved if I didn’t have so many people to be inspired by. I have friends who are so much more involved than I. I don’t even know if they sleep! They are so passionate about what they do. That just keeps me going,” Ngo says.

The same question — “Does she ever sleep?”— could be asked about Ngo. As a member of Columbia’s Asian American Alliance’s Political Committee, she devotes many weekends to participating in voter registration drives around the five boroughs. She also is president of the Vietnamese Students Association and recently worked with her colleagues to bring to Columbia a screening of the film Journey from the Fall, which tells the story of a Vietnamese family that fled to the United States after the Vietnam War.

Much of Ngo’s motivation to assist immigrant communities comes from having seen her parents struggle with the process of becoming American citizens. “The monetary fees were hard. They had to drive to Iowa, nine hours away, to have their fingerprints taken. That cost them gas and their time, especially since they go by hourly wages. That annoyed me so much. They wanted to become Americans and there were so many barriers,” says Ngo.

During whatever spare time she can salvage, Ngo enjoys attending shows and concerts, particularly singer/songwriter performances. “Things happen here. New York is like the center of the universe,” says Ngo. “You can have fun anywhere in New York.”

Nathalie Alonso ’08, from Sunnyside, Queens, is an American studies major, a freelance writer and an avid New York Yankees fan.

AROUND THE QUADS

Nhu-Y Ngo ’09 Stands Up for Immigrants and Voters

By Nathalie Alonso ’08