“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go. ”
- “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”, Dr. Seuss
Xin chao ban! My name is Karen Ngo and I am a fourth year Bachelor of Health Sciences student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. I’m hoping to pursue a medical degree at the University of British Columbia in Canada. I enjoy stargazing, playing piano, and singing and dancing like nobody is listening or watching.
The past four years have brought about a change. I admit that I have lived most of my teenage years relatively oblivious and naïve to the happenings of the world outside of my secondary-school bubble. However, upon entering university, I learned a great deal about world issues. After reading An Imperfect Offering by Dr. James Orbinski, the former President of Médicins Sans Frontières, I was blown away at the kindness that one man offered a nation in times of great need. A friend of mine at McMaster University also started an NGO called Step by Step to help those affected by the Rwandan genocide through raising money for the creation of prosthetic limbs. All of the activity, commitment, and perseverance has inspired me to do the same.
It is difficult, especially being a second generation Vietnamese-Canadian, to truly and fully appreciate and understand what my culture is all about. It seems that somewhere along the line, we have been playing broken telephone with our culture. However, from the stories that I have heard, I am astonished at how much the Vietnamese community had developed. The end of the Vietnam War in 1975 brought about a huge change and a mass exodus of Vietnamese citizens from their home country, and dispersed them all around the world. Citizens took a leap of faith and went to new places, learned to live a new lifestyle, and rebuilt everything from nothing.
Through the internship with East Villagers, I hope to gain a better understanding of volunteerism, community service, and the activity of non-profit organizations. I also hope to raise more awareness about East Villagers’ activities in Ontario, especially in my own university community and Vietnamese community. I have been particularly interested in NGOs that have been working to help the victims of Agent Orange, or Dioxin poisoning, from the Vietnam War. These chemicals were intended to be used by the forces from the United States of America to clear away forest areas where the Communist soldiers were stationed. However, its after-effects have endured throughout the decades, including various health and environmental problems. Bauxite mining and human trafficking have also been important issues that have been affecting Vietnam, and are issues that I wish to tackle and learn more about in the coming year.
Karen Ngo
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Team 5: International Health
Bachelor of Health Sciences, 4th Year
