Essay On Vietnamese American Youth

High performance in education is widely known as the key to success. In addition, students must meet their high expectations. This especially affects the Vietnamese American youth community. Gangs, racism, poverty, and depression; others often overlook these four factors when it comes to identifying Vietnamese American youth. Vietnamese American youths are typically described as “model-minorities,” or are often held to an extremely high standard when it comes to education, though it is highly unknown of what truly goes on in the lives of the youth. In fact, numerous gangs have risen from the Vietnamese American community due to various forms of racism. Racism takes the form of bullying, particularly in “race fights,” or racial conflicts. These gangs are formed in
Vietnamese Americans attending college are often first-generation students or transfer students from 2-year institutions who enter college with limited resources and are limited in peer interactions with other students (Um, 2003),” (Han, Lee 163). Having to learn a new language, adjusting to a foreign land, and still achieving in school is expected of Vietnamese American youth. This, in turn, creates stereotypes, which can lead to extreme racism. The “model-minority” myth is constantly applied to the Vietnamese American youth. Not every Vietnamese youth slides through education with ease. Every student has the potential to succeed in school, though many need help. Typically, Vietnamese Americans are thought of as extremely successful and smart, and are grouped with other Asian American communities. This is definitely not the case, though, as many in the Vietnamese American community are struggling to make ends meet, or to perform well in school, “Vietnamese Americans only have a college degree attainment rate of 20%, less than half the rate for other Asian American ethnic groups,” (“The Model Minority Image”). The problems do not stop here though, as parent-child