Anh Truong and Klaudia Dang
Over twenty years ago, twenty-four year-old Anh Xuan Truong immigrated from Vietnam to America. With the knowledge that the road to a prosperous life in the United States was rife with difficulties, he was prepared for potential obstacles. He had already taken his biggest risk in withdrawing as a third year college student in Vietnam to immigrate to United States, even though his family always valued education, so that he could pursue a better future for his family.Read more.
Mr. Truong wanted to continue his college education in the United States, and thought he could enlist in the United States military and use the GI bill to finance his studies. However, since Mr. Truong was over the age limit, he was turned away. Nonetheless, he decided to enroll in ESL classes at Bunker Hill Community College to advance his English abilities. After completing all levels of the ESL courses, Mr. Truong enrolled into a trade school and received certification as a welder. In a short amount of time, Mr. Truong was able to educate himself with the limited means available to him in order to earn a decent living.
Growing up in Vietnam, Mr. Truong always dreamed of working in a white collar occupation by obtaining a college degree. Now, living in the United States, Mr. Truong knew he had to switch gears and work in manual labor jobs to be successful. However, he also knew that working as a welder was not the answer to his dreams. Mr. Truong decided to expand his skills by learning trades in home improvement and working side jobs. This led to wanting to achieve the American dream of owning real estate. Mr. Truong knew he could not accomplish this mission on his own, so he decided to team up with Ha Le, who became his life-long business partner. Together they purchased their first real estate property.
This investment property needed extensive renovation. While working a full time job, Mr. Truong and his partner rehabbed the property together with the skills they gained by working for other people. Their real estate portfolio grew from the equity of that first property, and was the primary factor in establishing their success today. The rest was history.
Currently, the partners own and operate a very successful international grocery store in Worcester, MA called Mekong Market. They are expanding the business to open another location in Providence, RI. Working 80 hours per week is a norm for both Mr. Truong and his partner. Their diligent nature, hard work ethic, and good fortune put Mr. Truong and his partner into a secure position to give back to their community.
Mr. Truong's wife, Ms. Klaudia Quynh Dang, came to the U.S. at the age of five. Eventually settling in Worcester, she studied at Worcester State University and obtained a BS in Psychology. While working full time at Family Health Center as a Youth Advisor, Ms. Dang obtained a Masters Degree in School Counseling from Fitchburg State University. As a guidance counselor at South High School, Ms. Dang hopes to maximize the number of high school students entering college. Additionally, for many years Ms. Dang has been an outstanding realtor. She is currently with Keller Williams Realty, working extensively with the Asian community in central Massachusetts.
Ms. Dang has always had a love for community work. As a youth advisor for the Family Health Center, she realized the importance of education, support and guidance. Because she believes youth are our future, she devotes herself to guiding and equipping them with the necessary skills to be productive members of society as adults. She sees the SEAC youth program as an essential component of this work.
After enduring the hardships of being a newcomer to this country, Mr. Truong and Ms. Dang wish to make the lengthy, complex, and emotionally demanding process of adjustment to the U.S. easier for others. Both Mr. Truong and Ms. Dang see SEAC as an important resource for the Asian community through its daily services, especially through its youth and ESL programs.
In addition to financial donations to the Southeast Asian Coalition, Mekong Market has donated an abundance of food to many of SEAC's events and programs. The fundraiser for injured Vietnamese veterans, and SEAC's first fundraising dinner in May of 2011 would not be possible without Mr. Truong's business and goodwill. At the SEAC fund raiser, Ms. Dang offers the advice that, "If you have passion about something, just take action!" However, they know that even the most hard-working people need help along the way to become successful. Mr. Truong's ultimate goal is to raise awareness of local immigrant needs so that we can help make a difference together. Southeast Asian Coalition provides that critical support to diligent immigrant families so they can work towards their American dreams.
