Dylan Nguyen

Sophomore Dylan Nguyen remembers running around the house evading his nannies. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of loneliness and boredom caused by his father’s frequent business trips and lack of involvement in his life. 

After Nguyen’s mom passed away when he was 5 years old, Nguyen’s father frequently went on business trips. He specifically recalls one night when his father was in China on business and Nguyen was sitting on his dad’s bed, struggling with the overwhelming feeling of loneliness. Despite knowing his father was in the middle of a meeting, Nguyen decided to call him on FaceTime. 

“I just started bawling,” Nguyen said. “I just remember I started crying so hard, and I’m like, ‘Please come back. I miss you so much. I don’t even know who you are.’ And then my dad was like, ‘I wish I could come back, but I can’t.’ And then a week after I found out that he’s retiring [since] I didn’t have anyone to take care of me. After that, I felt way more connected to him and I was able to feel loved.”

Following his father’s retirement, Nguyen and his dad began playing golf together and entered a father-and-son golf tournament. He remembers winning first place in their bracket, describing it as an incredible moment.

“I was really proud of myself, even though now that I look at it, my dad carried me so hard,” Nguyen said. “That was a really good bonding experience with my dad.”