My Nonprofit Reviews

This past summer, I was so fortunate to be able to join Rock Paper Scissors Children’s Fund, a non for profit organization, on their first big trip to Vietnam to give lessons to music and art students. Being adopted from Vietnam in 1999, I have a strong connection to the country, to its people, and especially to the arts. Having played violin for eight years, I know that having someone to watch and look up to who is better at the violin is an amazing learning experience. I was able to be this figure that they studied and analyzed as I played with them throughout the one week I had with the students. This experience for me was surely unforgettable for I gained so much knowledge of the people around me and learned so many things. These children taught me a valuable lesson in life – happiness and success is not measured in wealth. They all came from poor families, some even below poverty. Throughout the week, the kids all seemed to be like me, to be like any other fifteen year old or any other six year old. They were innocent and playful. Teaching these children violin, though we spoke nowhere near the same language, was touching. It taught me that music is a universal language, a language that all can learn and all can learn to love. All of this would not have been possible without this amazing organization and the amazing people in it. With passionate hardworking owners, Sara and Pat and their two daughters, this experience to say the least, was incredible. The bonds that I have made with the people in the organization and the students are truly genuine and I hope to return.