Elizabeth Duong is currently a second year medical student at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA. She completed her Bachelor's of Science in Sports Medicine at the University of Virginia.

Being born in the United States and raised in an extended Vietnamese family, I have grown up learning how to embrace my old family traditions while incorporating and adapting to being an Asian American. At the age of 24, I had never visited Vietnam and furthermore, never met anyone from my father's family. During the summer of 2008, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Vietnam with VNMAP. In doing so, I was able to experience the culture through helping those less fortunate and I learned valuable skills that will help me in my long term goal of becoming a physician. We traveled to remote villages in the mountains near Nha Trang, worked with the sisters in Lam Dong, and visited a Leprosy camp in Saigon. After the mission, I had the opportunity to travel to Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, and Phan Thiet where I was finally introduced to a whole new side of my family. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience.

Last year, I served on the Executive Committee as Secretary. This year, I am proud to have the opportunity to continue my involvement with VNMAP as a Director on the Board of Directors. As my roles have changed, I have witnessed this young program progress and strive to better serve the local Vietnamese community in the greater Metropolitan area and in the rural areas of Vietnam. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute more to this dedicated and rapidly growing organization.