Interview - Tam Ngo

Tam Ngo, born in Saigon, Vietnam in 1996, immigrated to the United States at a young age. Growing up, her mother worked a lot, so she spent a lot of time with her father, who bought and sold used video games. Her childhood was also scattered with unique experiences pertaining to her Vietnamese background/household; her parents were not great at English, so she frequently was a “translator” or “secretary.” Partially due to parents and partially due to peer/self motivation, Tam was extremely studious in school. She attended the Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions, a place which she describes as having a lot of “smart Asians” and a place where she devoted her time and energy to making A’s and enduring the competitive environment. She eventually ended up getting a full ride to Soka University, where she spent 4 undergraduate years making meaningful connections and developing emotionally. After graduating, she ended up back in Houston due to financial reasons and her family situation. She is currently a part-time art teacher and a freelance artist who focuses on drawing, and her primary artistic areas of interest include Vietnamese art and anime.

View interview transcript PDFFull interview materials on Rice Digital Scholarship