Meet Breana Nguyen | UCSD Undergraduate Class of 2024

One of my all time favorite quotes that I live by is by Maya Angelou and it goes along the lines of, “People may not remember what you said or did, but they will always remember how you made them feel.”. I try to be as compassionate as I can towards others and give back to my community when I can and it has came back and rewarded me in so many ways. I came to learn that no act of kindness is small, and sometimes people will never forget how you’ve treated them, even if it is something as simple as greeting them or sharing a smile.

I was born and raised in City Heights San Diego. To some, it is considered ghetto. To me, it is one of the most diverse communities you could ever find. We celebrate each other’s cultures. There’s no other place where you can buy fresh fish from Vieng Dong, an Asian supermarket, walk two blocks down and buy Halal meat, walk a few lights down to have Ethiopian food at Red Sea, and then drive a few blocks to buy tamales at Northgate. With that being said, this community faces so many health disparities. I’ve seen first hand how the healthcare that you can afford will be the healthcare that you receive. It angers me that this is the case. I truly believe and will always fight for equal healthcare. The type and quality of healthcare that someone receives should not be dependent on how much you can afford to pay. If you want to become a doctor, the hope is that you are doing so because you want to be able to help those who can’t help themself. I have found that this is not the case for many doctors who see patients with medical or medicare and it really scares me. Right now, I am on my pre-med journey to become a physician. My end goal is to be able to open a clinic in City Heights to be able to provide the best care possible to low income families. I am tired of seeing patients get treated unfairly because of their socioeconomic status. At the end of the day, we are all humans and we deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. It is easy to say I want to be a doctor, but it is not always as easy as it seems. School can get really rough and people often times burn out. When I start to feel burnt out during my schooling or when I start to feel like I cannot do it anymore, I am reminded of why I am doing what I do and it pushes me through. I am doing this for my family and for my community. I learned that passion is wanting something so bad, you’re willing to do whatever it takes, even if you have to suffer a little. My passion for equal healthcare and giving back to my community is what keeps me going.

Well, this is a no brainer. I would take them to the heart of City Heights, the place I and so many others call home. We would start off by having breakfast at Hoai Hue, a Vietnamese resturant. Next, we would go to Gem Coffee where I know we would have the best cup of single origin coffee and house made syrup, as well as a great conversation with the owner Marlyn Gonzales. Next we would go on a walk at Chollas Lake, where we will be able to see many ducks and goose swimming around in the other and chasing humans away. For lunch, we are going to Red Sea for some Ethiopian food because the flavors are incredible. After lunch we would probably head to Mission Beach to relax on the beach and soak in some fresh air. For dinner, we would head back to City Heights and check out Ali’s Chicken and Waffles for the best Halal Chicken Sandwiches.

I would not be here today if it weren’t for so many people who have crossed my life and taught me the lessons that they have. First and foremost, I owe everything to my parents and my grandparents. Their story of coming to America and seeking refuge after the fall of Saigon gives me the strength to push through all the obstacles that I encounter. It makes me so proud to know where my roots came from and the struggles that they have had to overcome in order to make sure that my brother and I can live our life to the fullest. They’ve taught me to be humble and give back to people who are less fortunate because we are lucky to have a roof over our heads and food on the table. I also would not be where I am without the lessons that I have learned at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, the teachers that I’ve had guided me and helped me navigate to be able to attend college as a first generation student and the lessons that I’ve learned as a student leader in the Associated Student Body Government. To the GDPT Chanh Kien youth group for teaching me at a young age about how important it is to celebrate our culture and religion and fostering the youth to become leaders in the world. To GEM Coffee, Marlyn the owner, who trusted me and gave me my first job to be apart of the bridging of communities despite language barriers through sharing a conversation and a cup of coffee. The relationships that I was able to form during my time here has taught me so much and has opened so many doors for me. To Dean Amber and the Thurgood Marshall Student Council Members at UCSD who helped me feel at home and gave me a platform to start making a difference in our college community. To Dr.Ken and the SPCare team who have allowed me to contribute to our fight for mental health. And lastly, to my pageant moms and the Vietnamese American Youth Alliance as well as Miss Vietnam San Diego for giving me a platform to be able to give back to the elders in our community as well as build my network in San Diego. Lastly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has supported and believed in me even when I did not myself. To my friends and my family, I hope to make you proud.