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Here’s the latest for Thursday December 19th: Congressional negotiators try to avoid government shutdown; Amazon workers in some facilities to go on strike; Israeli airstrikes in Yemen after Israel says it intercepted a missile; New details on Wisconsin school shooter.
Twin Falls High School’s Nam Vo pauses for a photo Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, at Twin Falls High School. Vo earned a full-ride scholarship to Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
Principal Nancy Jones says Nam Vo is a “quiet influencer” at Twin Falls High School.
He exudes peaceful, calm vibes, Jones said, and the school needs students like that. Vo, a senior, recently earned a full-ride scholarship to Johns Hopkins University, which is worth about $90,000 a year for the next four years, in either engineering or medical research.
“I know he’ll crush both of those, whatever he decides to do,” Jones said.
Vo said it’s been quite a journey for him and his family. His grandparents moved to the United States from Vietnam, he said, and his parents both left when he was young. He is the first generation in his family to attend college.
He said the scholarship includes tuition, room, board, personal expenses, books and fees. Johns Hopkins is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland.
“It’s kind of something that’s unbelievable for us because we haven’t even really seen that much money,” Vo said.
Twin Falls’ Nam Vo talks about his future Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, at Twin Falls High School. Vo earned a full-ride scholarship to Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
Both of his interests in engineering and medical research are inspired by personal experiences.
Vo has been a caretaker for his grandpa for his entire high school career, he said, with help from his grandma and uncle. He said doctors have been going back and forth with different diagnoses, but he’s pretty sure it’s ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“This disease, like, it doesn’t have a cure,” Vo said. “So that’s why I’m really wanting to go into medical research.”
He said it’s been a role reversal, as he is now caring for the man who raised him.
“I’m happy to be able to try to give back and care for him like he cared for me,” Vo said.
His grandpa is also part of his inspiration for his interest in civil engineering, with a focus on public transportation. He said he always viewed cars as symbols of freedom, but that changed when his grandpa lost the ability to drive.
He said it would have been nice for his grandpa to get around easier and stay connected with people.
“I feel like we think of cars as this independent thing that’s really nice, but it also separates us so much,” Vo said.
Twin Falls’ Nam Vo stops for a photo Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, at Twin Falls High School. Vo earned a full-ride scholarship to Johns Hopkins University.
His opinion on cars also shifted when he visited his aunt in New York City. He said he could hop on the subway to travel to other communities, and suddenly more places were accessible.
“Going from Wall Street to Chinatown, to Manhattan, to all these different parts of the city,” Vo said. “Going up into upstate and seeing farms.”
He said is considering a career in planning and development of public transportation and railway efforts.
“I felt like maybe public transit can help by connecting people,” Vo said.
His scholarship to Johns Hopkins was made possible by a nonprofit called Quest Bridge, which connects high-achieving, low-income students to top universities.
“It would be nice if more people knew about Quest Bridge because they are a great support for helping people get into their dream colleges who don’t have all these resources,” Vo said.
Sean Dolan writes about education and politics for the Times-News. Reach him at 208-735-3213 or email him at sean.dolan@magicvalley.com.
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Here’s the latest for Thursday December 19th: Congressional negotiators try to avoid government shutdown; Amazon workers in some facilities to…
Twin Falls High School’s Nam Vo pauses for a photo Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, at Twin Falls High School. Vo earned a full-ride scholarship to Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
Twin Falls’ Nam Vo talks about his future Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, at Twin Falls High School. Vo earned a full-ride scholarship to Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
Twin Falls’ Nam Vo stops for a photo Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, at Twin Falls High School. Vo earned a full-ride scholarship to Johns Hopkins University.
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