Hung Dang Dao
Decades ago, Hung Dang Dao spent three years in law school – but the Vietnam War interrupted his educational and professional aspirations, and so much more.
The war and its aftermath made life incredibly difficult in south Vietnam, and Dao spent three years in a hard labor camp. In 2007, he sought asylum in the United States—and immediately embarked upon a new journey: to learn the language and culture of his new country.
“I wanted to stay in my country to do something, but living there is very hard,” he said of his decision to leave Vietnam. “I was experiencing a very hard situation for a very long time.”
He arrived in April, and by July began taking English as a Second Language courses. By 2009, he had enough proficiency with the language to begin taking classes at SUNY Broome.
Pursuing a wide range of classes through the years, he has captured the attention of his professors for his dedication and commitment to learning.
He will graduate this May at the age of 74, with an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts – Individual Studies and a grade point average of over 3.0 – no small feat for an adult immigrant who needed to learn a new language from scratch.
“When I came here, I wanted to learn everything about the American culture – what they think, what they do,” he said. “The most important thing is we must learn the other people’s language first.”
Mastering English takes a good deal of work, but Dao is inspired to work hard. He understands about 70 to 80 percent of what people say, he said, but he hopes to improve.
He even attempted to learn more languages through Spanish and French classes. He particularly enjoys hearing Spanish-speakers talk in their native tongue, although he found the classes to be highly challenging as he progressed. The same could be said for his photography course, although his professor is very supportive.
“’You can do it,’ the professor says,” he related.
He learned to tell his own life-story through Professor Michael Gee’s Autobiography class, and also volunteers in the Food for Thought pantry as part of a Community Internship course under Professor Doug Garnar. Every week, Dao helps assemble bags of food for students in need.
Even though he is graduating, Hung Dang Dao plans to continue his education with additional classes, furthering his mastery of English and his knowledge of American culture – and proving that you’re never too old to tackle something new.
“I want to learn,” he said. “I hope someday I will write out what I think.”
