A Decade of Progress

Ten years ago, the VSA at the University of Cincinnati hosted the first ever Vietnamese Interacting as One Conference. The theme was “A Standing Start”, marking the beginning of the development of the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest. In honor of the past ten years of continuous hard work, we now come together to where it all began to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of the UVSA community and its supporters to uphold the identity and the culture of Vietnamese Americans in the Midwest.

ABOUT THE VIA-1 CONFERENCE 

The Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) at the University of Cincinnati, in addition to the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest (UVSA-Midwest), is proud to have the privilege to host the tenth annual Vietnamese Interacting As One (VIA-1) Conference. The annual VIA-1 conference is considered to be one of the premier youth conferences in the country where hundreds of students partake in activities and workshops to build their leadership skills and cultural awareness that are brought back to their respective communities. Through the conference, the Collective Philanthropy Project, and other leadership development initiatives, participants raise appreciation for Vietnamese culture, take part in a philanthropy project, and network to make connections that will last a lifetime.

 

ABOUT UVSA MIDWEST

The Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest (UVSA Midwest), a non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization, was founded in 2007 as a means for Vietnamese youth organizations from across Midwest United States to network with one another, share common resources, and collaborate on philanthropy projects. Composed of college students and young professionals, UVSA Midwest is committed to empowering emerging youth leaders within the Vietnamese community in the Midwest United States. Servicing the Vietnamese American community in the Midwest, UVSA-Midwest works as an umbrella organization, and collaborates with individual student associations and other related Vietnamese community organization to conduct events and projects. To these ends, we organize conferences and retreats focused on leadership, cultural identity, social and community issues in addition to a collective philanthropy project that involves the participation of all member groups.