Bich Minh Nguyen’s autobiographical essay “The Good
Immigrant Student” can be summarized as follows.
Nguyen
grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she, her sister, her father, and her extended
family “stuck out” in a mostly white neighborhood because they were Asians. Her early
schooling involved bilingual education. Ironically, Nguyen and her sister already knew
English but needed help with Vietnamese. Eventually they ceased attending bilingual
classes. As she grew older, Nguyen increasingly perceived Grand Rapids as a city
dominated by whites. Nevertheless, Nguyen writes,
I was an insufferably good student, with perfect
Palmer cursive and the highest possible scores in every
subject.
Yet she was also
completely shy and obedient, especially since almost all her classmates were white.
Although she therefore secretly admired kids who were disruptive or rebelled (one of
whom eventually included her sister), she was signed up for a special program for
talented children – a program she loved because it encouraged individuality. One teacher
there made an especially positive impact on her life. Participation in the program made
Nguyen less shy and more confident. Thanks to the program, she began to look forward to
college. For the time being, however, she attended an academically challenging high
school, at least until a move to a new neighborhood meant attendance at a highly
class-conscious school.
As she grew older, Nguyen became
more apathetic and less self-conscious. Nevertheless, she recalls the discrimination she
and other immigrant students commonly experienced, and she suspects that immigrant
students even today often feel as alienated as she did.
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