Vinh-Hop Ngo

10/28/15

My Family Genogram
My family has gone a long way since my grandparents generation. A
lot of time has passed since then too, because all my grandparents either are
or would have been over 90 years old today. My paternal grandfather was a
farmer, and his wife was a homemaker, since women in that time did not
work outside the house. Even though my grandfather was a farmer, he was a
very smart, determined, persistent, and ambitious man. He had 8 children,
and raised them all on his own and homeschooled them. My grandmother
didnt do much. My grandfather was very poor, thus my dad, my aunts and
my uncles grew up as poor as you can possibly imagine. However, my
grandfather had a vision. He told himself that he would send his oldest son to
college in America, so he homeschooled him with college level math and
English when my uncle was only 14 years old. And at 17 years of age, my
uncle was accepted to Harvard University as their first ever Vietnamese
student in the mid-1960s. So my dads brother went straight from being
homeschooled by his farmer father to being a student at Harvard University.
My uncles acceptance into Harvard University changed my dads
family forever. It opened up new opportunities for the rest of the family. It
gave everyone hope that they could get out of poverty if they worked hard
and studied hard. So, hard work and perseverance are definitely two big
themes in my familys history. Everyone on my dads side of the family works

so hard and keeps a positive attitude no matter what. They work in a variety
of different fields, but all their values are clear: integrity, kindness,
motivation, and family are the most important.
My moms side of the family is completely different from my dads side.
My maternal grandfather was a descendant of the royal family in Vietnam; he
himself was a governor. So, this side of the family was obviously political. My
mom and her 4 siblings grew up comfortably because of my grandfathers
standing in society. My mom and her siblings went to school just like normal
children and had everything easier than my dads family had. However, my
moms mother died young, and her father died just a few years later, so my
mom and her siblings basically grew up on their own. This means that they
are all loving, hardworking, persistent and caring. My mom is the youngest in
her family, so her older siblings always took care of her. Upon graduating
from high school in Vietnam, my mom decided to not pursue a college
education in order to pursue her passion of playing the piano, which she still
does to this day. She graduated with a Masters degree from Longy School of
Music and has performed in countless numbers of concerts both in the US
and in Vietnam. She has also taught the piano to kids and adults since she
was still in high school. Her siblings are also doing pretty well. In the face of
adversity (parents passing away early), my mom and her siblings pulled
through and helped each other survive the tough times. The main values on
my moms side of the family would definitely be family, courage, and loyalty.

No one on either side of my family really cares about money that

much. As long as they have enough, they are good. They care about
happiness, about their children, and about their families. They worry about
the future more than they worry about the past or the present. They want to
provide the best for the future generations. I think this is valuable to me
because I realized that I am like that too. I dont really care about money as
long as Ive got enough and Im comfortable. I dont aspire to be a millionaire
or a billionaire; I aspire to be good at what I want to do and have a happy
family life. My dads familys story is the most inspirational story I have ever
heard, and I want to work hard and be successful in what I do because I
realize that I have it so much easier than theyve ever had it. Im very lucky
to be living the life that Im living alongside people whose families have been
in this socio-economic class for generations. To be a student and golfer at
Wake Forest is truly unbelievable considering my grandfathers life as a
peasant. When I was born, my parents could never have imagined this life for
my sister and me. It is way beyond their expectations; it has always been a
dream. There are no real skills or jobs passed down from previous
generations because everyone in my family has different careers, but
considering their humble beginnings, I would say their strong values will be
carried on throughout my life.