This is the headline of an April 26, 2023 Wisconsin Lutheran High School (Milwaukee, WI) press release. (Here’s a report from the local CBS affiliate: International student at Wisconsin Lutheran High School earns perfect score on ACT.) Quản Phạm Gia An (Frank) is a stellar role model not only for Vietnamese but all international students. He has taken advantage of every opportunity that’s come his way. Gia An’s ability to excel at everything, including his studies and extracurricular activities, is a testament to his hard work and intelligence. In his case, there are no trade-offs. He has achieved an ideal school-life balance as a high school student.

I remember when Gia An attended what ended up being the last in-person event organized by Capstone Education for a couple of years in January 2020 in Hanoi just as COVID-19 was beginning to rear its ugly head in Vietnam. The coffee talk, organized for Wisconsin Lutheran High School, was held at a cafe within walking distance of our old office at 8 Hai Ba Trung around the corner from the Opera House.

Gia An applied for fall admission, was accepted with a generous scholarship and received a visa denial (?). I can’t figure out why since he clearly meets all three criteria: 1) bona fide student; 2) ability to pay; and 3) ties to his home country. It clearly illustrates how US consular officers make occasional mistakes in both directions, i.e., issuing a denial to a well-qualified applicant like Gia An and issuing an F-1 to someone who plans to use it as backdoor means of emigration.

The second time was the charm and his adventure was underway. As I mentioned to him in a recent meeting at my Hanoi office, the world is his oyster (he knew the idiom) regarding US higher education opportunities. Colleges and universities love students like him, domestic and international.

Shalom (שלום), MAA