Vietnamese is one of the classes I look forward to the most. I never thought I would learn a language, especially Vietnamese. I have no background in the language, other than my wife being Vietnamese. She is a native speaker, as is her family. I wanted to learn to converse with her family and grandparents to help me connect more with them. I have completely fallen in love with the culture, and what better way to immerse myself than by learning to speak it!

Taking this Vietnamese course honestly changed my life in ways I didn’t expect. I came in just wanting to improve my reading and writing, but I left feeling more confident in my mother tongue and that’s something I’m really proud of. I grew up speaking Vietnamese, but I never really learned how to read or pronounce certain words the right way. Cô Jennie’s class made everything click, and as a first-generation Vietnamese American, that meant a lot. I used to text my parents in English but would struggle to understand their replies in Vietnamese, often finding myself using Google Translate. I can now talk with my parents and grandparents without second guessing myself, and that feels really good. On top of that, I met a lot of great people who made the class feel like a community, something I didn’t expect, but really appreciated.

Taking a Vietnamese course has made me grown so much to love my culture/ ethnic background. I feel more in touch with my heritage. Not to mention, this class encouraged me to grow closer to my family. Conversing with my family has gotten a lot easier. This class isn’t just for those with Vietnamese ethnic backgrounds. This class is for everyone. My non-Vietnamese classmates, whom I’ve taken this course with, all enjoyed learning Vietnamese culture, language, and especially the foods. Vietnamese class feels so welcoming and professor Jennie is really encouraging to help your journey of learning Vietnam.

Learning Vietnamese was really fun because you interact and get to grow closer with fellow classmates. The Vietnamese program has helped me to be more confident with my speaking and learning. I found myself more comfortable and joked around a lot in Vietnamese around my family and friends. Class time was fun especially during group time which made learning more interactive. I will have been in the Vietnamese program for a total of three years, 7 semesters in total. My time in the program will become a fond memory and I will miss it.