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Class Scholars

Class Scholars: 1976

Kelvin Nguyen, Class of 2011

• Bio

• Thank You Letter

Kelvin Nguyen, Class of 2011, was born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam, the older of two sons. Thoughts of practicing medicine first occurred to him as his brother was frequently hospitalized, eventually being diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Upon graduation as the Valedictorian of his high school class in Vietnam, Kelvin received the prestigious Australian Development Scholarship, which would pay his way to any Australian university. Three days before he was to leave, his family received a call from the American embassy. Their immigration application, which had been submitted 15 years before, had been approved. In order to remain with his family, Kelvin rejected the scholarship opportunity and immigrated to America to begin life anew.

He enrolled at the University of California, Irvine, with a Biology major, while working as a Mathematics and Chemistry tutor and teaching ESL to Vietnamese adults to support his family. His faculty thought so much of him, that he was nominated for and received a scholarship to attend a summer program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In addition to his academic workload and many job responsibilities, Kelvin was a research assistant for Dr. Carrie Brachmann’s genetics lab and contributed to his community as an emergency room volunteer at Western Medical Center. Following graduation with honors from UCI, he was accepted for admittance to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and has fared well in his first three years. Moreover, he has maintained his strong work ethic in the community by volunteering with the student-run homeless health clinics and the Lenox Community Health Fair.

A smart, focused, and compassionate young man, Kelvin has risen from harsh circumstances to fulfill the American Dream. He has dedicated his life to bringing quality medial care to underserved populations, and we look forward to great achievements in his medical career. We are pleased to present Kelvin Nguyen as the 2010-11 recipient of the Class of 1976 Scholarship.