Finding Her Voice

By Trinh Qua 

Kay Duong is a 16 year old junior and is a student at Yerba Buena High School. She is in two clubs, her position being both event coordinator FCC and VSA. (Vietnamese Student Association) and (Foodie Cultural Club). Before joining, she was an introverted teenage girl. But after being involved with the clubs and meeting new people it helped her become more outgoing and communicative. She learned that being shy means you can still meet new people and communicate. 

Duong: “One valuable lesson I learned is that you can be shy and still meet new people and communicate.”

Growing up, she was an energetic kid. School was a hard experience for her because when she was young she only knew a little bit of English which made her childhood years difficult. Despite the challenges she faced as she gets older, she has learned to grow and become more confident in herself.  

When she was younger she was nervous and anxious about public speaking and meeting new people. She often worried about making mistakes which made her avoid leadership roles. However, she has now found herself overcoming things she was always scared to do. 

Now her role as being event coordinator means she has responsibilities to do, including being in charge of managing prep during Tet shows. She also has an open 7th period so she has free time to make forms for events. Before joining clubs she wishes she knew how to reach out to other team members outside of school. 

Duong: My responsibility in VSA as a event coordinator is to put together events and make forms for upcoming volunteer events. Im also in charge of managing prep during tet shows. 

In addition to her responsibilities as event coordinator, she also cares for her younger sister. Being an older sister means having to pay for her stuff all the time when shopping. Going shopping for her is her hobby as well, she enjoys going to the photobooth with her friends and making new memories every time being the highlight of her day and making her happy.

Duong: “I’m the older sister, and I have to pay everything for my younger sister.”

Being more involved with school and clubs helped her grow because she was nervous and anxious and meeting new people. But joining made her realize that it never hurts to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. Her joining clubs has shaped who she is today because of the people in her clubs making her feel welcomed which made her feel less shy and not anxious.

Duong: My club has shaped me to who I am today because I'm not super shy about public speaking and I go to more school events because of it. I have improved my anxiousness by a lot. These clubs are very welcoming and make me feel included.