Brian (he/him/his) grew up in Houston, TX and is currently a freshman at Bowdoin College where he will be majoring in Economics and Education. When not playing (and losing) ping pong or volleyball, Brian mentors QuestBridge and low-income students with the college application process through his work with the Dumb Lit Admits (DLA) and works as a volunteer tutor for his community. He loves to research immigration and asylum policies, international trade theory, and the best one liners for every occasion.
While coaching students in Speech and Debate as a former competitor, Brian learned to value accessibility to resources as a means to promote civic awareness and make informed decisions. He draws on his observations with family/immigrant sponsorship in his family, his parents’ narratives as Vietnam War refugees, and a FGLI student narrative as catalysts for his interest in US naturalization processes- more specifically Vietnamese refugee remediation through the Orderly Departure Program (ODP) and the process of seeking asylum.
Brian joined ACE because he is invested in increasing educational opportunities and resources about immigration policy for the online community. Although Brian doesn’t enjoy losing to his friends in ping pong or any sport, iMessage game, or contest, he enjoys great food, thrift shopping, and doing improv comedy with friends. He hopes that being a team member and Fellow at ACE will enable him to impact lives across the nation through research and community awareness projects.