This Past Year as VABAW President

Yesterday, VABAW finally had its annual banquet at the Triple Door. The banquet is our main fundraiser that we prepare all year for. It was so fun to show everyone what we’ve been up to this year and to see all of our supporters. Here are a few photos from the event.

We were very lucky to have Senator Joe Nguyen talk about becoming the first-ever Vietnamese American elected to the Washington State Senate. Our theme this year was “Breaking New Ground” and during my speech I talked a little bit about what it meant to me – my speech below. If you’re interested, come join the VABAW fam! – vabaw.com

Hi everyone – thank you so much for being here and supporting us tonight. I’m Melanie Nguyen, the current President of VABAW.

I get the pleasure of introducing our keynote speaker tonight, Joe Nguyen, but I want to talk a little bit about our theme this year – Breaking New Ground. What does that mean? The theme is really special to us this year because Senator Joe Nguyen is the first ever Vietnamese-American elected Senator for Washington State. But our theme means a little something to me also. 

I just moved to Queen Anne last year. The view going up Queen Hill is beautiful; you’re surrounded by water and mountains in every direction. That was a ground-breaking thing for me – moving to Queen Anne. I’m from Everett, Washington. So different. I grew up in section 8 housing and was raised by parents who immigrated to U.S. in their early 20s after the Vietnam War. Every day, in elementary school, in Everett, I would walk by the juvenile detention center that was being built. It wasn’t until I was much, much older than I realized that prisons are only built by poor people.

So growing up, I didn’t know any lawyers. No one in my family had ever gone to college. But I read a lot growing up; crime thrillers and courtroom dramas always excited me so I had always dreamed of being a lawyer. But I didn’t really know if I would ever end up being one. An immigrant kid’s life is like that. We learned everything we know without knowing the formulas. We didn’t have parents that we could look to figure out how to do things. And often times we actually had to help them. We were learning English when they were learning English.

So now when I’m walking up Queen Anne hill, it is shocking to me the stark contrast between where I am now and where I was raised. I often wonder how it happened? How did I get to where I am? I didn’t do it all by myself. I think maybe it was 30% me and 70% the people who have supported me. I don’t look that good on paper, I really don’t. I never enjoyed school. I didn’t get the highest grades. And yet - people believed in me and a lot of them are in the room here tonight.

My family is here tonight. They’re in the back because they’re Vietnamese and they didn’t want any attention. But they’ve had to put up with a lot from me. I was a difficult child and the rebel in the family. In middle school we had an assignment to do a presentation about your hero at that time. I made one of those huge tri-fold posters of my hero at that time – Tupac Shakur. After that assignment I brought that board home and wanted to keep it for life. After a few weeks, my mom threw it away after a week and it took me years to get over it. I was not easy going. But seriously - my parents have worked so hard to support 5 kids. Growing up my parents mowed lawns to make extra money. My dad still does. He’s almost 60. When I was a kid, I was embarrassed by this. Now, I’m embarrassed that I was ever embarrassed because I owe all my hard work and determination to them.

Other people are in the room tonight. Right before I graduated college, I responded to a craigslist ad for a receptionist position at a law firm called Johnson Flora, now Johnson Flora Sprangers. Thank you, Mark for hiring me and sponsoring the event tonight. Mark encouraged me to go to law school, reviewed my personal statement for law school and has been my mentor ever since.

Michelle Pham introduced me to VABAW. VABAW has been the biggest support system and group of friends. Thank you Michelle and your firm, Helsell for sponsoring tonight.

Williams Kastner hired me as a summer associate in law school. Thank you Williams Kastner for sponsoring the event tonight. After law school, I clerked for Justice Johnson at the Supreme Court. We are so blessed to have the Supreme Court that we have. When I was a 1L in law school, I attended a Washington Women Lawyer event where Justice Yu was the speaker. She talked about being the first Asian-Hispanic woman on the Supreme Court and how much representation matters. I cried; it was so important for me to hear a Supreme Court Justice tell me that it was a big deal that I made it to law school and that I could be where she is. 

Finally, after my clerkship, my firm, Stritmatter Kessler, took a huge chance on me. They had never hired someone out of law school with no experience before and I’ve done a lot of embarrassing things since starting there two years ago. I won’t get into any stories because I’ve talked for awhile now. But I feel so blessed to be where I am now. Representing injured POC who look like me that I never saw represented growing up. I’m where I’ve always dreamed of being.

I say all this because I want to convey 2 things. 1: it’s so important to support POC, women of color, folks who come from immigrant families because we need it. 2: with everyone supporting one another we can all break new ground to come.

It’s becoming more normal to talk about the importance of firms and non-poc to support and hire POC. But I know I don’t need to do much of that tonight because everyone here already does that. You wouldn’t be here otherwise. Truly, my heart is full and I hope you all continue to support VABAW and come back to our banquet in the years to come.