Speaker tells crowd to appreciate America
A large crowd at Chadron State College got a pep talk Wednesday night on what it means to be an American. Betty Nguyen (pronounced Win), an anchor for CNN’s weekend programs, said there are thousands of people around the world who would give anything to come to the United States. She noted that the United States is the land of opportunity and freedom, and people who live in countries where it is almost impossible to break the cycle of poverty are desperate to come to America.
Nguyen was a baby when her family fled Vietnam in the last cargo plane to leave Saigon before it fell during the Vietnam War. After living in three refugee camps, her family settled in Texas, where she graduated from college and became a rising star in television. She began working for CNN in 2004.
“There are so many people around the world who would give almost everything and anything to have just a little bit of what you have inherited,” Nguyen said. “I am a product of immigration and am so thankful for the opportunities I have had here. I could have grown up in a grass hut.”
Nguyen said coming to America is like winning the lottery, and that most of those born in America don’t think about how fortunate they are to live here.
While acknowledging that illegal immigration is causing problems in America, the speaker said there are a right way and a wrong way to immigrate. She opined that the diversity which immigration brings has helped make America great, stating that it provides new ideas and inspiration that enrich the nation.
“What would America be like if it wasn’t for immigration?” Nguyen said. “Almost every one of you in this room can trace your family to another country. What if we were all cut from the same cloth and had the same ideas and same beliefs? We all have different things to contribute.
“Progress comes when we challenge the status quo, think outside the proverbial box and bring together diverse ideas,” Nguyen continued. “Diversity is something we should celebrate, not hide from, because it gives us new ideas and new perspectives that make us stronger and enriches us.”
In appreciation for the opportunities they have received in America, Nguyen and her family have formed “Help the Hungry,” an organization that strives to alleviate hunger and provide assistance for needy families. During her presentation, the speaker showed a video of her return to Vietnam last year when she boarded a boat and went from grass hut to grass hut handing out food, clothing and medicine in the Mekong Delta.
“But for the grace of God, it could have been me living in one of those huts,” she stated. “Seeing what I saw made me want to do more.”
In a lighter vain, Nguyen challenged the several hundred Chadron State students in the audience to enjoy college, which she described as a time in their lives when they are free to explore and question.
She also challenged them to do their best. “You’ve got one chance in life,” she noted. “You’ve got to give it your all. No one else in the world can do it for you. If you don’t succeed, somebody else will take your spot.”
Category: Campus News