"On March 6, 2019, two children and a Vietnamese woman was found dead in a murder-suicide inside San Jose apartment," reads the headline. This tragic event rocked the Vietnamese community at its core. We need to bring more awareness to issues surrounding mental illness and depression in our community. We need to provide resources for them so they realize they are not alone and seek help when they need it. I’d like to share with you my own story. A while back I, too, strug

Thi Bùi’s graphic novel, The Best We Could Do, offers an illustrative perspective that reflects on the gap between first and second generations of Vietnamese Americans. Bùi questions the distance that she has with her parents in which her reflections delve into the traumatic history of war and escaping Vietnam as refugees. Through the process of understanding ancestry, Bùi breaks down the barriers she has with her parents and herself. She begins to see why her parents are the

With intense and raw emotions, Lily Hoang transforms her work, A Bestiary, through the contemporary form of writing, using non-fictional experiences and fairy tales. The revival of fairy tales and myths adds to the multitude of diverse perspectives, which challenges the reader’s insight and understanding of the female gender role and Asian identity. Hoang is not afraid to make herself vulnerable in which she skillfully connects to the reader, revealing the anxieties of the se

Failing in College... The idea of failing is dreadful for anyone. For Vietnamese Americans, the pressure to succeed often stems from the fear of failing and the fear of disappointing one’s parents. In a typical Vietnamese household, children hear their parents and relatives gossip about someone else’s child changing their majors or taking a year off of college as if they kissed success goodbye. It’s strange, but growing up as a Vietnamese American, I’ve struggled with this in

When I was in high school, I dreamt of the day I move off to college. And why not? They always say it’s the best 4 years of your life! Now that I’m more than halfway done with my college experience, I can finally tell you that that is absolutely true BUT only when you are committed to making that dream a reality. Here’s a couple of ways to make college an experience you’ll never forget: 1. Celebrate failures Affected by my Vietnamese heritage, I find I get nervous about tryi

The stigma of mental illness such as Depression and Anxiety causes many Vietnamese to avoid talking about this important topic. Watch as Chopsticks Alley's Contributor, Rei Pham, opens up in a raw and unfiltered video sharing her perspective on this topic. We hope her words will help parents, friends, and families recognize that Depression and Anxiety is real. "It's important to accept that mental illness is a real thing." We urge parents to talk to their kids openly about

Drawing Conclusions is our job, and is based on contextual, relevant concerns that we discover and define in our design process." When it comes to maintaining the mental health and wellness of American citizens, the 2016 presidential election cycle has been less than ideal. In a recent article in Politico, therapists and their clients described how the last several months of political turmoil have thrown them for a loop. One psychologist even commissioned a poll of 1,000 vote