As the world progresses with diversity awareness, more steps are being taken to create a safe and open community for people of all backgrounds. PRISM member Caitlin Nguyen, a senior studying for a dual degree in Finance and Hospitality & Tourism Management, strived to help create an integrated community with her Homecoming campaign Catching Dreams with Caitlin.
The main goal behind Nguyen’s campaign was to try and unify immigrant and refugee communities on the Virginia Tech campus. To accomplish this, Nguyen wanted to be able to host an event where all organizations on campus, regardless of affiliation, could come participate and make connections, make friends, and be able to integrate their communities. Nguyen understands the importance of making an impact on the refugee and immigrant community.
“I’ve always wanted to do something with my organization where I could focus on impact. There are ways to integrate our campus that we haven’t really touched. That’s why I wanted to host an event with my platform beyond providing only resources, because we have so many people we can learn from and should capitalize on the diversity of knowledge and opportunities we can gain. I have been looking for an opportunity to create that impact factor since I was a freshman, but I didn’t know how,” Nguyen said.
However, when she discovered the option to campaign for homecoming through her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, Nguyen knew this was her chance. With the support of her Greek organization, Nguyen was able to begin creating the perfect campaign for her dream, starting with the clever title, Catching Dreams with Caitlin. The name for this campaign did not appear out of thin air. It came greatly from her parents’ story of escaping the Vietnam War in the late 1970’s and coming to the United States to capture their American Dream.
“There were a lot of things that [my parents] had to deal with coming to America, and the American Dream was an idea that I centered my childhood around. That’s what drove me to do this campaign in the first place, especially because my parents have always had that immigrant mindset where you want to set your kids up for success. That’s a huge thing. I am driven to work hard to ensure I am able to take care of my parents, but also to provide for my future children,” she said.
Nguyen’s family’s incredible story was the backbone for her campaign. Nguyen’s mother escaped from Vietnam when she was only a child with her siblings, having to leave Nguyen’s mother behind with only enough time to say a goodbye and a promise to see one another again. A year of endless prayers went by until they saw each other again.
“They escaped with nothing. They only had the clothes on their back and they were just sitting on a little fishing boat with hundreds of people crammed onto it, sitting on top of one another. Picture that.” Nguyen said.
As for her father, Nguyen said that he escaped from Vietnam to Hong Kong where he worked until granted his sponsorship to the United States. When he arrived in the United States at age 19, he knew no English and took classes at a community college to help him learn. However, Virginia Tech took him in and he soon graduated as an electrical engineer with the dream to build a life in the United States.
With her campaign idea set in place, Nguyen was ready to go out and make a change. Her sorority was a huge help, helping her create flyers, paint letters, design stickers and pins, and participate in all of the homecoming events. As someone in a Greek organization, Nguyen wished to see all of Greek life begin to participate in events that involve cultural organizations, as she realized that this is an amazing opportunity for others to learn about their peers and their culture.
“There’s so many possibilities that are endless. It’s so possible, there just needs to be more of an emphasis on integrating the community beyond organizations. Why not have the organizations come together since we are representative of the whole campus and not just individuals,” Nguyen said.
While Nguyen did not become homecoming royalty, the impact of her campaign is far from over.
“The impact of the platform is still there. When I was boothing for the entire week, doing all of the events, and running my social media, I saw a significant impact on the community. Most students that walked by would ask us thought provoking questions about our platform and what we are looking to do for the community. That’s what it’s really all about, and I hope that they can take something away from that,” Nguyen said.
Moving forward, Nguyen still has a plethora of ideas to help integrate the Virginia Tech community. Her goal to integrate the community goes beyond a campaign and she is thankful for the impact she was able to make on Hokies across the campus in helping make everyone feel like This is Home.
