CEDAR HILL, Texas — Eighteen-year-old Phat Nguyen has come a long way ... a very long way.
“Coming from the other side of earth, then coming here and now I’m actually graduating here? It’s really fulfilling,” Phat said.
Born in Vietnam, Nguyen immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 7 years old, eventually settling down in Cedar Hill.
His dad, Xinh Nguyen, left behind his homeland, his family and a successful career.
“We came to America because we wanted the children to get an opportunity to grow up,” Xinh Nguyen said.
Xinh Nguyen wanted his kids to get a good education and Phat said that’s exactly what he didn’t do.
“I didn’t even do my homework,” said Phat. “It was kind of like, whatever.”
His grades suffered and he even tried hiding them from his parents. Then, one day, a switch flipped.
“I didn’t really think much of it until my freshman year and I realized what they had given up for me,” Phat Nguyen said. “That was when I really started trying in school.”
Today, Phat Nguyen is near the top of his class, and next week, he will graduate from Cedar Hill Collegiate with honors. He plans to study computer science at UT-Dallas, all thanks to a mom and dad who gave him the chance.
“I want them to feel like it was worth what they had given up for me to keep going,” Phat Nguyen said.
To make it possible, his parents went to great lengths and now he gets to go even further.
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