Tai Nghiem: Founder (Fundador)

Junior at Naperville Central High School

  • Published author in Trailblazer Magazine
  • DECA Social Media Manager for over 1000 people
  • Member of the Naperville Business Fair Executive Committee
  • Principal's Advisory Council Member for NCHS
  • Pivotal Essay Competition Finalist
  • Certificate of honor for USABO
  • KidsMatter Senior High Board Member
  • Vice-president and lead Spanish tutor for GLAD Academy
  • Varsity Tennis Team Member for NCHS
  • Civic Leadership Institute: Northwestern University

Mi Cuento

My Story

Escribiendo la Cultura - Writing the Culture

Hola, soy Tai. Cuando era niño, tuve muchas experiencias con varias culturas. Esto me enseñó la importancia de varias culturas, incluyendo la cultura y el idioma español. Crecí hablando español, comiendo comida española, y esto influyó en mi experiencia y las oportunidades que tuve. Además, cuando era niño, me gustaba escribir. Imagino que en mis relatos, realidades que nunca serían posibles serían reales, y combiné magia y realismo. Participé en algunas competencias y gané dos, con una historia que hablaba de un mundo distópico y un ensayo sobre acciones poco éticas. Uno de mis trabajos fue publicado en una revista internacional llamada Trailblazer. Puedes leerlo abajo.

Hello, I'm Tai. As a child, I had many experiences with various cultures. This taught me the importance of various cultures, including Spanish culture and language. I grew up speaking spanish, eating spanish food, and this influenced my experience and the opportunities I had. Also, as a child, I liked writing. I imagine that in my accounts, realities that would never be possible would be real, and I combined magic and realism. I took part in some competitions, and won two – with a story that talked about a dystopian world, and  an essay about unethical actions. One of my works was published in an international magazine called Trailblazer. You can read it below.

Un Futuro de Crecimiento - A Future of Growth

Me di cuenta de la importancia que tienen las lenguas en la vida a una edad temprana, esto me llevó a la fundación de En Español. Al principio, se sentía abrumador, había tantas cosas que hacer. Pero me enfocé en el primer paso, que era la enseñanza, el corazón de nuestra organización. Nuestros grupos crecieron en tamaño hasta que nos convertimos en la organización sobre la que estás leyendo en este momento. Lo que fue más gratificante fue escuchar los elogios y realmente poder ver el crecimiento que mis estudiantes tuvieron y tienen bajo mi enseñanza. Después de ver el crecimiento de mi organización, recaudar más de $5000, enseñar a más de 100 estudiantes, y ver a estudiantes de más de 20 países reunirse para compartir en el aprendizaje, estoy emocionado de ver lo que trae el futuro.

I realized the importance that languages have in life at a young age, this led me to the founding of En Español. At first, it felt overwhelming, there were so many things to do. But I focused on the first step, which was teaching, the heart of our organization. Our groups grew in size until we became the organization you are reading about right now. What was most rewarding was hearing the praise and really being able to see the growth my students had and have under my teaching. After seeing the growth of my organization, raising more than $5000, teaching more than 100 students, and seeing students from more than 20 countries come together to share in learning, I am excited to see what the future brings.

Cariñoso y Amable - Caring and Kind

Outside of my organization, I continue to be active throughout the community, having helped raise more than $92,000 for organizations I am involved with. I have led several social media campaigns related to activism. I am conducting research projects that aim to improve access to healthcare for minorities. But above all, I love helping people.

Fuera de mi organización, sigo siendo activo en toda la comunidad, habiendo ayudado a recaudar más de $92.000 para organizaciones en las que estoy involucrado. He liderado varias campañas en redes sociales relacionadas con el activismo. Estoy llevando a cabo proyectos de investigación que tienen como objetivo mejorar el acceso a la asistencia sanitaria para las minorías. Pero sobre todo, me encanta ayudar a la gente, que es algo que realmente amo.

Nuestros Valores - Our Values

Nuestra misión es empoderar a los jóvenes y adultos de habla hispana con metas de vida futuras, y realmente espero que sea una misión que estamos en camino de lograr. Si usted, o cualquier otra persona está interesado en aprender Inglés, STEM, o está en cualquier necesidad de apoyo laboral o habilidades de educación financiera, por favor no dude en hacernos saber. Creemos en lecciones gratuitas para cada estudiante, porque nuestros estudiantes son el futuro. Gracias.

Our mission is to empower Spanish-speaking youth and adults with future life goals, and I truly hope that is a mission we are on the way to achieve. If you, or anyone else is interested in learning English, STEM, or are in any need for job support or financial literacy skills, please feel free to let us know. We believe in free lessons for every student, because our students are the future. Thank you.

 

Tien Nghiem: Co-Founder (Fundador)

Junior at Naperville Central High School

  • Founder of En Español Press: Initiative focusing on underserved voices and increased bilingual literacy.
  • KidsMatter Senior High Board Member: Organization empowering kids to realize their full potential.
  • Student Representative for Sister Cities Foundation: Building cross-cultural connections with people around the world.
  • Student Representative for SECA: Supporting the arts and cultural events of Naperville.
  • Teen Philanthropy Initiative Member: Learning about grantmaking and the nonprofit world.
  • FLL Mentor for Huskie Robotics: Assisting with local teams to increase an interest in STEM.
  • A Team Outreach Leader for Huskie Robotics: Facilitating a youth interest in STEM.
  • Civic Leadership Institute (Northwestern University): Studied policy, civic engagement, and leadership through collaborative projects.
  • Northwestern CTD Student: Completed accelerated academic coursework, developing critical thinking skills.
  • Johns Hopkins CTY Student: Completed accelerated coursework with an emphasis on analytical reasoning.
  • UCSD- Bioengineering Research: Conducting independent research of biomechanics.
  • Brookfield Zoo Kings Conservation Science Scholar
  • State Qualifier for Naperville Central's Math Team
  • Varsity Tennis Team Member for Naperville Central
  • 2-Time Wheaton College Piano Competition Winner

Grace Zhang

Junior at Naperville Central High School

  • Basketball Team Member for NCHS
  • Debate Team Member for NCHS
  • Orchestra Member for NCHS
  • National Honor Society Member

Katie Kim

Junior at Naperville Central High School

  • Orchestra Member for NCHS
  • Culinary Club Member
  • Spanish Club Member
  • A Volunteer for a Korean Language School
  • Top 9 Violist for the State of Illinois

Khun Pook: International Ambassador (Líder Internacional de Embajadoras)

Khun Ann: International Ambassador (Líder Internacional de Embajadoras)

Maria Rodriguez: International Ambassador (Líder Internacional de Embajadoras)

Volunteer Leaders (Líderes Voluntarios)

Katherine Dillon

Secilia Orihuela 

Briseis Schumacher 

Corynne Reas