Once a month, Tony can be found plucking vegetables from the ground and ridding them of any excess dirt. He then organizes these vegetables into boxes along with other types of packaged food so that people in the Linn-Benton region can easily find what they’re looking for. As a volunteer with the Linn Benton Food Share, Tony is part of the crew that helps distribute about 383,000 pounds of food every month to those facing food insecurity. If there are two things you should know about Tony, it’s that supporting people comes naturally to him and he loves working with his hands.
“Growing up, I had a hard time sitting in one spot. I always had a fidget toy or a Rubik’s Cube with me,” Tony says. “That’s why hands-on work is thrilling to me. I’m always challenging myself and questioning many things in my head. Curiosity gets the best of me most of the time.”
A Commitment to Helping Others
Tony joined College Possible Oregon while he was a student at David Douglas High School in 2023. Throughout his time in the program, he’s testified for college access and success funding in Oregon and has been an active member of the College Possible Student Board that helps build systems of support for the students we serve. Last fall, Tony completed his health science pre-requisites at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
For as long as he can remember, helping others has always been important to Tony—and to his family. One of his biggest role models is his mother, who has always navigated life in a selfless manner, Tony shares.
“Growing up, she always made sure to help other people, and she often put others before herself. I remember a flood happened in my home country of Vietnam, and she donated money to my family and other families who were impacted,” Tony says. “That really influenced me to seek out a career that helps other people. Overall, it’s just really fulfilling.”
Charting a New Path
In Tony’s case, his passion for aiding others is rooted in healthcare. He discovered his interest in the sciences through a high school physiology class, which drove him to volunteer at Kaiser Permanente and Adventist Health for two years. That hands-on experience of working in hospitals solidified his choice to pursue a career in nursing.
Right now, Tony is applying to nursing programs across Oregon and saving up for school in the meantime. He’s looking forward to navigating the transition into nursing school with his College Possible advising specialist because it’s a very competitive field, he says. As a first-generation student, Tony lets us in on what pursuing his dream career means to him, his family and his future:
“My family, they’re nail technicians, and if I didn’t go to college, I feel like I would probably become one too,” Tony says. “And there’s nothing wrong with that, but my parents started the idea of college while I was growing up because they didn’t get to pursue a degree themselves. As a nurse, I want to help other people and be fulfilled with what I’m doing in life.”
