Giving Someone A Gold Medal: Her Journey

Crystal Luong, 8th Grade

My mom has always there for me through all of my best and worst moments. She has fought and sacrificed so much, and she is the one person I can rely on for anything. Melinda Luong is her name. She is the one who is determined to make my life successful and prosperous.

My mother deserves a gold medal because she is a hard working mother of three who will always put her family’s needs in front of hers. She has faced the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Her story and childhood inspire me to become a better person each day.

She was born on January 5th, 1969. She was always running with her family away from the Khmer Rouge as her home was tom apart. Running barefoot everyday with no food. She had to hunt, fish, and even steal to survive. Sleeping on dirty floors and having little to eat was her whole life as a child. Her body is scarred by bums and scratches trying to move place to place without getting caught by the communists. There were minefields and bombs everywhere. She could never live in one place. At the age of ten, she was walking through a minefield in the mountains of Thailand. Following her family, putting one foot in front of the other and stepping slowly through the mountains trying not to trip on a landmine. She firmly held her breath and finally made it out, only to be to be rejected by the Thai government and sent back to Cambodia.

My mom and her family were finally sponsored by a Catholic family that brought her to a new life in America. She began her life in Missouri. With all her sisters and brothers, she went to school without knowing any English. She started fourth grade at the age of twelve. After years of learning English, she worked extremely hard to maintain a 4.0 GPA. Her family then moved to San Jose, California for the job opportunities. Her family fortunately saved enough money to buy a donut store that provided my mom a life. Every day after school, she would always help at the donut store by cleaning, selling, and making donuts. She would work on her homework day and night hoping to go to college. After four years of studying and hard work, she was able to attend San Jose State.

Her dream came true, a college education. My mom studied and majored in business that would eventually lead to career in accounting. She still supported her family’s donut store almost every day. After she got married, she devoted her life to make sure her children were able to grow up with an experience that she never had: a happy childhood. She is determined to make the best possible choices for her children’s future. She’s a persevering mother and that is the reason why we strive to be the best. It is for her sacrifices that makes her worthy of a gold medal.

Every day, my mom has taken the time to create memories with us. This gold medal is just one of the many things I honor her with. Her history has taught me how lucky I am to have her. Her love and devotion gave us a happy childhood that she couldn’t have. She always puts her family in front of her own interests. Giving my mom a gold medal is something I will never regret.