By Melody Li
On Nov. 6, VSA (Vietnamese Student Association) competed in the annual MAYS (Mid-Autumn Youth Summit) competition at Yerba Buena High School to celebrate Vietnamese culture and raise funds for the club.
At this event, VSA clubs from San Jose high schools meet together to compete in multiple categories: skits, speech, cultural jeopardy, olympia, dance and singing.
“There’s a financial prize for the competition, but it’s honestly more about the fun and getting to know other VSA clubs from different schools,” exclaims Secretary Annie Nguyen. “It’s a huge bonding experience because everyone comes together through one culture and cheers each other on like a family.”
Cash prizes are awarded to the top three schools in each category. Ranging from $75 for third place to $300 for first place, each category receives different amounts. PHHS placed second in skit, third in cultural jeopardy, third in olympia and third in dance. Activities Coordinator Daniel Johnson and senior Tina Tran took home first and second place in speech, respectively. In total, PHHS VSA won $475 from this year’s competition.
As PHHS was unable to receive an award for speech last year, Daniel was surprised to find out he won first place.
“Finding out I won first made me feel so elated and almost euphoric after waiting anxiously for hours and going through (numerous) rounds,” reveals Daniel.
Both the club’s officers and members worked rigorously to plan and prepare for all the competition categories. According to Co-President Roselyn Mai, the club switches up the performances every year and the officers choreographed three different dances this year by themselves.
“We started planning for MAYS a few weeks into school and started practices in September,” explains Roselyn.
MAYS is an event coordinated by college VSA members and various active members of the Vietnamese community in San Jose.
VSA officers plan to use the funds earned from MAYS for their annual PHHS VSA show in January.
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