Moving north all the way from Plano Texas, transfer student Phuong Nguyen came to Blanchet at the start of her junior year.

She had previously attended a Catholic high school called John Paul II high school. It was very different from Blanchet, having to wear a uniform last year. Nguyen says that Blanchet is not as preppy and doesn’t have as many rules as her old school. This is one of the many reasons why she likes Blanchet.

With her brother soon attending the University of Washington (UW) in the fall and her sister already attending UW, the Nguyen family decided that it would be a good idea to move the family to Seattle so that they could all stay together.

Starting her first day as a Brave, Phuong was both nervous and excited, and when she got there people were generally very nice to her. It was an overwhelming experience for her and she felt out of place but admired how diverse the school really was.

“My first day I didn’t know how to find my CP,” said Nguyen. “I asked someone to help me and when I walked in I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do or say. Everyone was looking at me and it was awkward, and I talked to a couple of people in my CP and I was being introduced in front of the whole class.”

Not knowing anyone at the school, she was nervous about making friends. But through classes, football games, and lunch time, Phuong met many new people and has been friends with them ever since.

She was happy to move schools to get a fresh start with new people but it was also very challenging having to adapt to a whole new life, new people, new environment, and new teachers.

Her junior year as a Brave has been very successful. Phuong has gotten involved in Model UN, Diversity club, and Latin club.

Phuong plans on attending Blanchet again for her senior year and hopes to attend college in either California, Texas, or somewhere on the East Coast.