Outreach Vietnam is one of the many clubs at Langham. The club likes doing many things, like celebrating the traditions and culture of Vietnamese people, representing the large number of Vietnamese students in the school.
“Eating snacks is how we socialize a lot,” senior Sophia Nguyen said. “We usually eat Vietnamese snacks, like shrimp chips. We also celebrate the holidays throughout the year too, like Lunar New Year.”
At Langham, there is a diverse population, Vietnamese students being one of the largest numbers among them. Learning about different students and their background can strengthen the bond of the many students at school.
“We want it to be like, inclusive for everybody, and find a safe space to make new friends,” Nguyen said. “And like, find a community in our club, there’s other people too, not just Vietnamese people.”
Outreach Vietnam holds meetings to inform people about the club and find out if they will get any new members. The meetings are held at any date when the members find a good time.
“Our last meeting was like an interest meeting,” Nguyen said. “So if you’re interested, there was just like, what our club was and then how we help our community, and how we help the kids in Vietnam find an education because they’re too busy working for their families and stuff.”
Different clubs also hold socials throughout the year as well. Socials are gatherings of people. All clubs have different purposes in their socials.
“So, we have a lot of socials throughout the year,” Nguyen said. “It’s not really that serious like Key Club or NHS or any of that. It’s more just to socialize and make new friends. And then, we also have this Penny War thing that we do every single year and whichever class raises the most money gets a donut party.”
Just like any other club, Outreach Vietnam also has its origins, although it is not the clearest, it still has one.
“I think somebody’s sister started this club, someone a long time ago, five years ago back in the day,” Nguyen said. “Other schools in this district have the same club, but they call it like ASA. I think we’re the only school that calls it Outreach Vietnam because there’s a large population of Vietnamese people.”
As a senior, Nguyen hopes that the club will grow in the future even when she graduates.
“I want to pass it to the juniors, sophomores, and freshman to keep this club going,” Nguyen said. “Like keep it going for the next few years and spread our Vietnamese culture, and make it more well known.”
