As the oldest cousin, senior Elvan Ngo remembers his grandparents asking him to enter their house before everyone else each Lunar New Year to bring good luck in the upcoming year. This tradition is one of many things that ties Ngo’s family together. 

Another tradition in Ngo’s family is attending La Salle — Ngo’s uncle received a full-ride scholarship to La Salle, and now “he’s super successful” and working for Nike, Ngo said. After this experience, Ngo’s uncle has encouraged Ngo and his cousins to attend La Salle as well. 

Ngo then earned the same scholarship as his uncle through the Boys and Girls Club. 

Ngo’s cousin is now a senior, and his sister plans on attending La Salle as a freshman next year. “All of us want to be, I guess, just like our uncle,” Ngo said. “We want that dream, the American dream.”

Despite Ngo’s enthusiasm to attend La Salle, his first few weeks were rougher than he expected, as he broke his glasses before the beginning of school, “so I was literally blind,” he said.

He said his first day was a long process of getting about six inches away from every classroom number, realizing it was not the correct room, and trying again on a new room until he found the class he was supposed to be in.

Despite the initial bumps in the road, “I really love the community here,” Ngo said. Currently, he is involved in the Asian Pacific Islander club, multiple theatrical productions, LINK crew, and the Passion and Fashion club. 

The Passion and Fashion club is new this year, and Ngo said he has been working hard in the club to organize events that are both COVID-19-safe as well as fun for students to participate in. 

Originally, the club had a weekly theme, and the members would sketch a fashion design based on that theme. More recently, the club has begun to meet in person and sew together. Ngo’s first time sewing was creating a bucket hat for the club. 

Even with the challenges of this year, especially with losing events like senior sunrise and homecoming, Ngo said that his online classes were easier in comparison to in-person learning. 

His favorite class at La Salle this year is AP Spanish 5, because of its small size and how Ngo feels comfortable with the other students in the class. “Also, I just love learning about different cultures and furthering my language skills,” he said. 

The most memorable thing Ngo will remember about digital learning is putting on Zoom filters during his Spanish class. “No other class I would’ve felt comfortable doing that,” he said. 

Overall, since he has attended La Salle, Ngo has learned to “speak my mind more,” he said. “Freshman year I was super shy, and [now] it’s [easier] for me to talk to new people.” 

For college, the same company that helped Ngo attend La Salle has granted him a scholarship to Oregon State University. Ngo plans on majoring in Animal Sciences to become a veterinary technician. 

“I’ve been obsessed with animals ever since I was little,” Ngo said. His grandma used to give him National Geographic Kids magazine subscriptions every month, “and I would read those magazines cover to cover,” he said.