On Thursday Dec. 5, the Vietnamese Culture Club and varsity dance team — the Titanettes — co-hosted a VCC Coffee Talk, forums for Silicon Valley leaders to share their journeys and career paths with students. Olympic silver medalist and artistic swimmer Jacklyn Luu, a member of the United States’s artistic swimming team that placed 2nd and ended the 20-year medal drought in swimming, was a guest speaker. This event was special for Luu because she grew up in the Bay Area and graduated from Stanford University where she was a student athlete.
The event was organized by VCC President junior Sylvie Nguyen and Titanettes team captain senior Laura Cheunkarndee. Cheunkarndee related to Luu’s experience, as a student and an athlete, given her demanding school and dance schedule.
“I think it was cool to learn about the athletic side for us,” Cheunkarndee said. “Also how (Luu) dealt with balancing school and her sport because it relates to us.”
For VCC Membership Chair junior Toby Wong, Luu is a great representation of what students are going through.
“She’s a really great role model,” he said. “(Luu is someone) who was in the same situation (that a lot of students) are in. We have similar academic and athletic goals as Luu did and since she became an Olympian, getting advice from her was great.”
Nguyen felt connected to Luu through her talk about being an Asian American from the Bay Area.
“I thought that it was a super empowering talk because I (was able) to see a female Asian American achieve so much and learn about what it took to get there,” Nguyen said. “I think it’s also important for the student community to hear what it’s like for local Bay Area youth to (participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics).”
The event was highlighted in principal Dr. Wendy Stratton’s newsletter, which was sent to the staff on Dec. 9, because of the excitement around having an Olympian speak at Gunn. Stratton emphasized the importance of promoting student-led motivational talks.
“(There are) so many great things happening at Gunn,” she said. “We’ll never capture (all of it), but if anyone has a particular interest in (promoting) cool things, I will support it through our website and through my newsletters. I want people to know what is happening and when there’s something to celebrate.”
