Where are They Now: Thao Phan

Thao Phan grew up in City Heights, San Diego. As a first-generation Vietnamese American, Thao faced many financial struggles growing up. Despite facing these struggles, she never let a moment go to waste. Thao has a knack for being particularly opportunistic, and this comes from a knack for positioning herself in the right spots. Some might call it luck, but luck is when preparation meets opportunity. At the end of middle school, Thao applied to Preuss School UCSD. After getting in the realized how many opportunities had opened up just by getting into Preuss. Naturally, she pursued these newly opened avenues. One of which led her straight to A Bridge for Kids. She wrote an essay for our Annual Essay Competition, and despite not coming home with a trophy, her writing style stood out to us and we reached out to conduct an interview with Thao. After meeting Thao and recognizing her “go-getter” disposition, it was clear she would be a good fit for the program. 

Thao did not fail to seize the moment with A Bridge for Kids. Before going on our college tours, Thao was torn between a tough decision: Wesleyan or UC Berkeley. After going on the East Coast College Tours with A Bridge for Kids, Thao knew that Wesleyan was the school for her. While Thao was sure of this decision, her parents need a bit of persuading. Her parents were well aware that UC Berkeley was a great school as well, and having only resided in San Diego within the United States, the UC system was all they were really aware of. With the help of Thao’s sponsor and her sponsor’s husband’s experience at Pomona, they were able to bring Thao’s parents around to see the opportunity lying within Wesleyan.

Thao’s relationship with her sponsor is really something special, and this article would not be complete without shedding some light on it. Thao mentioned, “I was a Freshman in HighSchool, and now I'm 23, I graduated college last year, and I still have a great relationship with her (Thao’s sponsor). I moved across the country, and she moved out of San Diego, but we still keep up. She’s still there for a lot of the big moments in my life, and I would have never imagined that I could create this type of relationship back when I was a Freshman... My relationship with my sponsor is invaluable. It is beyond how much the sponsorship gives you in dollars.” When Thao moved to New York and began looking for a new job, her sponsor flew out to New York to help out and was pivotal in helping her prepare for interviews, conduct negotiations, and transition from Amazon to BNY Melon. 

Thao is now a resident of New York and is enjoying working for BNY Melon in Private Banking. She has learned to love New York and all of the opportunities on every street and around every corner.