Our Projects

Active Focus for 2024 - 2025

Currently recruiting volunteers - please reach out to scientistvan [at] gmail.com or via Facebook

Explore AI Tool Usage for Cultural Expression & Preservation

Explore and democratize the usage of AI tools for capturing, transcribing, documenting, and sharing unrecorded cultural history & customs.

Recording An Bằng Village's History

Documenting the story of the village's founding and the countless sacrifices made by the older generation as they were forced to leave behind our homeland and start new lives in other countries. The majority of the younger generation has never had the resources nor opportunity to learn about our village's history.

An Bằng Professionals Database

Building a database across multiple generations of An Bằng students and professionals to help facilitate networking, bridge the generational gap within the community, and connect younger students to older role models. The goal is to help students connect with older mentors in college, graduate school, and in professional roles.


In Collaboration with: An Bang Professionals Group

Active Focus for 2023 - 2024

An Bằng Family Tree Directory

Crowdsourcing information about the 20+ generations for 45+ distinct family clans in An Bằng tracking back over multiple centuries.

Active Focus for 2022 - 2023

College Application Resources

Publishing free college application organizers and resources to help students understand the key application components and stay on track throughout an overwhelming process. The goal is to break down the complex process of applying to college into manageable tasks.

Application Fee Waivers

Helping students become aware of fee waivers for standardized exams (SAT/ACT) and college applications. The goal is to remove an additional barrier to entry into college. Many students will not even submit an application believing they don't stand a chance or that they cannot afford multiple application fees. The goal is to help prevent students from selecting themselves out of the applicant pool before they have even submitted an application.

Active Focus for 2021 - 2022

Understanding the Financial Aid Landscape

Putting together local, university, and national scholarship opportunities into a unifying spreadsheet to alert students about various ways to earn money towards their college education. The goal is to help students and their families understand the financial aid and loan landscape so they are equipped to make the most informed decisions for affording a college education.

Active Focus for 2020 - 2021

Combatting Mental Health Stigma

Advocating for mental health awareness through the development of free workshops and resources to destigmatize mental health within our village and broader Asian American communities.

Sharing College Involvement & Clubs

Discussing and showcasing different ways to get involved on a college campus, especially in an effor to make friends from similar backgrounds (such as Vietnamese Student Organization and Associations and Asian American Affinity Student Organizations)

Future Ambitions

Preserving An Bằng Village via Virtual Reality

Get grant funding to travel to An Bằng Village and walk, bike, scooter through the streets recording the rural village architecture. Create a digital version of An Bằng to connect multiple generations unable to visit physically (and before urbanization reaches further into our unique rural village).

Annual College Admissions Q&A Events

Organizing virtual college admissions seminars and Q&A panels to address concerns about applying to college, the application process, standardized testing, and accessing financial aid. The goal is to create a support group of fellow applicants for application peer-review during the Fall application cycle.

Virtual College Campus Tours

Creating virtual tour videos & guides of college campuses across the country to enable students from all backgrounds to visit colleges on their list. The goal is to increase access to families unable to afford in-person college visits and decrease one barrier to entry for many colleges far from each student's hometown.