50 Stories for 50 Years: An Vo ‘07

To celebrate our 50th anniversary year during 2018/19, we collected stories and profiles of people and institutions that have helped us build our organization, which first began as one person's dream in 1968. We will feature one story per week on our blog. Please enjoy these “50 for 50” profiles featuring ASSIST's dedicated board members, dynamic staff, welcoming host families and enthusiastic ASSIST Scholars.

An Vo ‘07
Vietnam, Brentwood

It has now been more than 13 years since my ASSIST experience. Then, I was a 16-year-old girl experiencing the U.S. for the first time, amazed by everything and everyone around her. Now, I'm a mother of two, with more than 30 visas in my passport. I don't even know where to begin to share the magnitude of the impact that one ASSIST year has had on my life. It was so much more than a one-year cultural and educational experience.

More than anything, the relationships I was able to establish during my ASSIST year have grown to be among the most important and meaningful I've ever had. I was fortunate to be matched with a wonderful host family: the Booth family (yes, of the Chicago Booth School). The one year I spent living with them was beyond amazing. But what followed after that one year are a series of experiences I'll forever be grateful for. The Booth family has become a second family to me—especially my host mother, Suzanne Booth, who has truly become my second mom.

I called Suzanne "Mom" during my ASSIST year and after. She remained my mom throughout my four years at Mount Holyoke College, and she sent me a welcome care package at school each year—just as she sent to her biological daughter, who went to Georgetown. Those care packages seemed to represent her gentle touch upon her daughters' lives from far away—the gift cards to buy books on Amazon, some perfumes, some nice scarves and gloves (it was freezing where I attended college!), and sometimes air tickets to join the family for Thanksgiving or Christmas in the Bahamas, Houston, or Las Angeles. Suzanne was always there during my college years, and I joined pretty much every major holiday with the Booth family. In 2011, I got married—and the entire Booth family flew to Vietnam for my wedding. I remember my host dad, David Booth, shed tears when he was giving a speech about how grown-up I had become and how much it meant for the family to be with me on that special day.

And then my life turned another page. In 2014, I gave birth to my first son. Soon after that, I discovered that he suffered from a rare condition. My host mom showed up once again. She found me the best doctor in the U.S. who agreed to read my son's scan and offer advice from a distance. My host mom was always there, sending me encouragement and all the love she could from half the world away during the most traumatizing period of my life.

In 2018, I gave birth to my second daughter in the U.S. My host mom welcomed me and my husband at her home, taking care of me and my baby, organizing our baby shower, purchasing all the baby necessities, being there when I gave birth, and making sure we were all okay. My host brother—a young 20-year-old man now—would entertain a heavily pregnant lady by taking me out to dinner and music shows, showing me around Austin. My host sister, who was in the U.K. at the time, sent me baby gifts and wishes from far away. Everything was still just as it had been in the old days.

The love, the bond, the care over more than a decade never changed. My ASSIST host family has become my second family in the truest sense. My world has expanded to an entirely new dimension, thanks to that ASSIST year and the generosity of my American host family who loved me for who I was—unconditionally, selflessly, and sincerely. They inspire me to always remain open-minded, curious about the world, and loving toward the people around me.

About An:
An is now a leading executive at a search firm in Asia. She developed her career in Human Resources, and quickly became one of the youngest HR directors in the Vietnam world market, taking leadership roles at both multinational and local companies. She has an established track record in innovation in the realm of talent acquisition, HR marketing, and team leadership.