Fong Vang

Fong is the 3rd child in an 8 children household consisting of four girls and four boys. Sometimes my siblings would call my brother, Frog. That was his nickname.

When Fong was still in high school, he worked at Taco Bell. Everyday, he would ride his bike for over 5 miles to his job. Sometimes, he would bring tacos and quesadillas home. My brother taught me how to bake cake and make rice crispies. On certain days when my mom gave me $1, my brother would hike me on his bike to 7 Eleven to buy a slurpy. I never understood why my brother even bothered taking me when I only had $1! My brother always had candy in his room and I loved that, too.

After high school, my brother joined the United States Air Force. He went into training for 10 weeks and found out that he had Hepatitis B. He was discharged. I was so happy when my brother came back. After a while, he recovered from Hepatitis B and became healthy again.

After returning from training, my brother seemed different. He was more mature and demanding. His attitude really surprised me. When I was a child, I used to get into a lot of fights with my younger sister and I used to yell at my mom a lot whenever she ticked me off. My brother realized how immature I was being and he stepped in to help. My mom had kidney failure and was on dialysis. My brother helped me realize how much love I should show my mom because she was the one who gave birth and raised me. Who knows when my mom is going to leave this world? Fong really opened up my eyes.

Fong also encouraged me to be a good student and to listen to my teachers. He always told me, "Cer, school is not a place to mess around. School is a place to learn." That always stuck in my mind. That's how I became more interested in school and earned straight A's.

Everything he told me, I took it to heart. I became more mature and I started to be more realistic. I learned what was right from wrong. He encouraged and supported me a lot. He listened to me whenever I had something to say and he was always there when I needed him. We had a lot of fun together and shared lots of laughter. He taught me so many things.

I will never forget what my brother has done for me. He changed me from being this immature girl into an outstanding and mature person with huge dreams for the future.