Huy Hoang

Huy Hoang, 30’s
Portland, OR
​he/him

Current Role: Assistant Professor at Pacific University School of Pharmacy, and a practicing community pharmacist at CVS/Target.

What racial, ethnic, cultural community or communities do you identify with?
Vietnamese.

When and how did your family come to the United States? Where were you born?
Immigrated to Portland, OR after the Vietnam War in the mid 1980's, where I was born!

What are the strengths and challenges of being Asian, Asian American, and/or Pacific Islander?
What comes to mind first about being an Asian-American is how much more I don't know about where I've come from, and the struggles that our ancestors had to go through for us to live the life we have now. That's been one of the consistent challenges I've had, mainly because the conversations with my parents usually tend to end in the topic of communism and limited solutions on how to overcome their feelings towards it. 

The strength I see is how I can use the background and upbringing to educate those around me about our Vietnamese culture, and bring those strengths and qualities to the table. Qualities such as hard work, perseverance, resilience, and grit to what I do everyday is something that people have told me how much they appreciate it, especially my students. ;) 

What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment is to be able to do what I truly love, and that is to wake up and make someone's life a little better everyday.  For me, that's paving the way for the next generation of pharmacists to make a difference in their communities, and at the same time, being able to care for my patients.

What is one thing you learned or appreciate from your family growing up?
One thing I really appreciated about my family is that they taught me at an early age the value of a dollar - the idea that I need to work hard in order to get things that I want and that things won't just fall into my lap. 

I think the younger generation falls into the trap of immediate gratification, the tendency to always want things now, that it makes it difficult for them to save and think about future planning. That's part of the reason why we're seeing millennials having a tough time thinking about retirement and what their life may look like in the next 10-20 years.  

Do you speak your family's native language? Why or why not?
I do but it's limited. I speak enough to get by through the streets of Saigon and so that my grandma can understand me, I think I'm pretty content with that.  

What advice do you have for the younger generations in our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander community?
Try to understand where you've come from, and be grateful for the opportunities that you have today that our parents and ancestors wish they had when they were our age. It would give you a sense of appreciation of how you've come to be the person you are. Be proud of who you are and know your values the values you bring to the table. There are many opportunities and challenges that face Asians in our system and it's important to unite and educate those around us about who we are.

What gives you the greatest joy in life?
The ability to make someone's life a little better. There's a real sense of joy for me to find ways to make people feel good which, in turn, makes me feel good.  That's part of the reason why I'm in healthcare and in the academia setting.

Are there any projects you have created that you'd like to share and promote?
I'm working with Dr. Kimberly Truong, Executive Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at MGH Institute of Health Professions, and adjunct lecturer on Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education to talk about racial injustices and how healthcare providers, specifically preceptors, can work with students and provide a more positive learning environment.  
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