Duong receives $120,000: Hours of work pay off in district scholarship competition

Junior Trung (Jack) Duong competed in The American Legion Oratorical Contest held in Warrenton, Mo., Jan. 3, 2010, where he placed second and received a $120,000 scholarship to Lindenwood University.

            The contest consisted of six rounds beginning at the local high school level and continuing on to Franklin County, District, Zone, State and National levels. Duong made it through the high school and county rounds uncontested and moved onto the District level competing against four other students.

            The contest required a five- to six-minute memorized essay about the U.S Constitution. After this presentation, contestants picked a U.S Amendment or Article from a hat and were given five minutes to think about their response before stepping onto the stage and giving a three-  to five-minute speech on the subject.

         “I drew Article 4 Section 3 Paragraph 1, which deals with the process of ratifying a state,” Duong said. “I froze twice for 10 seconds which seemed like forever, but I then continued, which is probably why I got second place.”

          Duong spent approximately 72 hours in preparation for his speech. Despite the difficulty of the competition, he found an angle that was unique to himself and his heritage. Duong came to the United States from Vietnam on March 19, 2004 when he was 11 years old. However, he said that being from Vietnam didn’t give him an advantage in the competition, but rather provided a new and interesting viewpoint.

         “I wrote about how in my country, (that) I grew up in, doesn’t have a constitution, and that you should be thankful that you have one because it protects you,” Duong said.

          Immediately upon his arrival to America, he began learning the English language and working as fast as he could to catch up to other students his age. Duong said that part of his success is due to foreign language teacher Gisele Carducci, who has helped him greatly as an English as a Second Language (ESL) student in high school. Carducci continued to aid him by helping him in this scholarship competition.

         “We actually started this (preparation for the scholarship) his freshman year,” Carducci said. “We made sure that he did well understanding the U.S. Constitution. Sophomore year we worked on Saturday mornings to come up with an idea. It was a collaboration.”

         Duong said programs and scholarships like this help him, as a foreign student, better his public speaking and writing skills. Since coming to America, Duong’s parents had high expectations for him, which in turn made him strive for better scores as fast as possible, even if it meant going the extra mile.

         “He spends countless hours after school and at home working on projects,” junior Anne Elise Stratton said. “Even if he gets stressed, he still keeps working. The best word to describe Jack is ‘over-achiever.’ He always strives to be the best in every class.”

         Hoping to perfect his speech even more, Duong became a member of the Toast Master Club. This local club, formed to better students’ public speaking skills, meets once a week and welcomes people of all ages. At club meetings, Duong gave his speech and received comments and constructive criticism. Although Duong won the scholarship, at this point he does not plan to attend Lindenwood University, but rather sees the scholarship as a solid backup plan. Duong plans to apply for many more scholarships in the future in hopes of having a career in the medical field, but for now he is enjoying the rewards of his hard work.

         “It (the scholarship) has relieved much of my stress about finding financial aid,” Duong said. “Of course, it has made me really happy, and my family is all really proud of me.”