Tiffany Daugherty

It was late at night when MVHS parent Tiffany Daugherty’s flight landed in America, ending her long journey to the United States. Daugherty describes her childhood growing up in Vietnam as happy and carefree, living among a tight knit community. However, Daugherty’s happy childhood took a turn during the Vietnam War, when her family of 10 faced imminent danger. Because her father was a colonel in the South Vietnam military, there were times when the military of the North invaded, targeting families of high rank.

The immigration process for Daugherty’s family was relatively easy, as they were children of the war. After being sponsored by a family member in San Jose, Daugherty and her eight siblings were able to attend school. Before arriving in the U.S., Daugherty pictured America as a country filled with white picket fences, green grass and a friendly community. To her dismay, not only was there no green grass and white picket fences, but she also faced bullying and discrimination, where other kids made fun of her for being placed in ESL classes.

Due to her identity, Daugherty didn’t fully feel accepted as an American until college. To her, the college experience was different because of the lack of bullying and cliques. Because there wasn’t a select group of friends that she had to hang out with every single day, she felt that she was able to grow more independent and resilient. 

“I think if anything, [immigrating here] made me stronger,” Daugherty said. “If I didn’t have to go through the bullying, I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at, because that taught me to stand up for myself. What happened when I was growing up here, it just got me to the point where I will not let people [walk over me].”

Now, Daugherty has lived in the Bay Area for almost 47 years. She says the Vietnamese community offers a feeling of belonging where her family is part of the culture, and would not think of moving anywhere else. Despite all the hardships she faced in the U.S., Daugherty says that she is most proud of her family. 

“The most successful moment is when I [had] my children,” Daugherty said. “Everything else is secondary because they’re my life. I feel that’s like above everything. I think what happened to me in my younger years shaped me up to where I’m at right now. I’m very content where I’m at — I have a good job, good family, good morals [and] a lot of good great friends. I appreciate everything that I have, and I think if I didn’t have that when I was younger, I wouldn’t appreciate a lot of the things that I would now.”