Family Is Forever

By Jinni Thuy Tran, APIASF/GMS Scholar

While friendships, best friends, or even teachers may fluctuate in my support system, my family remains rigid and unconditional in my support system. My mother is a hard working mother who fed my sister and I spoonfuls of her unaccomplished dreams. She aspired to be a lawyer but was forbidden to attend college in Vietnam, and therefore she always stresses the importance of education and politics to me. My father has sacrificed his life to bring our family to America. He taught me to be humble and generous to others. Last but not least, my older sister has always been there to help me get through tough times. By pursuing education, she managed to escape from the devouring abyss of of poverty and has inspired me to do the same. Who I was in the past, who I am now in the present, and who I will be future is a direct consequence from the love of my parents and my sister. 

The photo was taken on my birthday this year (I’m a New Year baby!) a week before I left for Spain. Even though I am far away studying abroad in Spain, my family is still my support circle. The little phone calls from my mother before she heads off to work for 12 hours at the food factory mean the world to me. From where I stand, I am my daddy’s girl, mama’s sunshine, and my sister’s keeper.