The Vietnamese Student Organization at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or VSOUL, is a way for students to get involved all over campus, while interacting with Vietnamese culture in the United States.
This organization is well known all over the U.S., and is a part of many universities in various states around the country. In this region alone, which includes Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, there are 10 different schools that have their very own Vietnamese Student Organization and host events and celebrations. Many participants involved in the Vietnamese Student Organization attend events at other schools in order to support their fellow members and communities.
There are three main goals for VSOUL, which include a social aspect, a philanthropy aspect and a cultural aspect.
Vietnamese culture is recognized through the organization by attending events such as culture fest and celebrating festive holidays like Lunar, which is a very important day in Vietnamese culture that recognizes the New Year.
The philanthropic aspect of VSOUL is met by the volunteer work that the organization does for various places around the U.S.
Each semester, VSOUL participates in three philanthropic/aid projects for their collective philanthropy project, or CPP. These include organizations like Goodwill, Acadiana Animal Aid, Vietnamese Health Clinic and many more.
For their third goal, the organization sets up two social events every semester for anyone who wants to participate. In the past, these events have included volleyball and flag football during the first semester, along with beach volleyball, soccer or basketball during the second semester.
At UL Lafayette, there are around 30- 40 students who consistently participate in events and meetings, however there are many other students who attend various occasions throughout the year. Within the organization, there are students filling various jobs such as treasurer, co-president, vice president, historian, sports coordinator, interns and much more.
Freshman interns in VSOUL are students who want to get involved in the organization without making a huge commitment right off the bat. This opportunity gives the students a chance to try out a leadership role before they decide how invested they truly are.
There are two co-vice presidents along with Anthony Nguyen, a junior electrical engineering major, and Kylie Luong, a junior kinesiology major, who share the title of co-presidents.
Luong encourages students at UL Lafayette to participate in VSOUL events, even if they do not know for sure how to get involved. She said that people should not “be intimidated by the word Vietnamese,” and that the organization “has a little bit of something for everyone.”
Schools all around the U.S. use the Vietnamese Student Organization to get students involved in cultures that they may not know much about. This inclusive organization is bringing people together all around the country.