My father, Anh Hong Van, and Mother, Lanh Thi Van fled Vietnam in 1979 and came to America in 1980. They came to America so that their children could have the opportunities in life that they could only dream about. My parents eventually settled in Sanford, Florida where we live today. I was born in 1983. I am a first generation Vietnamese American.
I have four sisters and one brother, and I am the second youngest of six children. I attended Midway Elementary, Sanford Middle, and Seminole High School, all of which are located in the beautiful city of Sanford. I was the Valedictorian in my graduating class at Seminole High. During high school I participated in competitive weightlifting, winning two state individual titles and setting two state records.
I then attended Georgetown University in Washington DC, and majored in Government and Economics and minored in philosophy. During my four college summers, I volunteered as a coach at Seminole High School. I graduated from Georgetown University with honors in 2005 and the Emory University School of Law in 2008.
I was an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Emory University Varsity athletes during 2006 and 2007. In my spare time I compete in Olympic weightlifting, in which I was the AAU Junior National Olympic Champion in the 62 kg. weight class in the 2002 year, and the National Collegiate Champion in 2007 for the 69 kg. weight class.
