The dance group Lotus (from left to right, seniors Quang Nguyen, Chon Huynh, Vincent Truong, and Guanhua Ao) performing to Boy With Luv by BTS. Photo by Sandra Li.
On May 21st, senior Quang Nguyen hosted a fundraising event called Giving Hearts with Art at the MHS courtyard as part of his community service project for National Honors Society (NHS). At the event, various performers from Junior Varieties (JV’s) presented their acts and the proceeds collected from the concession stand would be directed towards the Boston Children’s Hospital.
Nguyen explained that there were a lot of preparations that went into the event as he first started planning in January. While planning, he noted that there was a lot of “asking, borrowing and hoping that people would agree to take a portion of their time to be a part of this.”
He specifically organized this event due to there being “many beloved individuals around [him] who have greatly benefited from the Boston Children’s Hospital” which he saw this “as a way to return a small part of the favor.”
To Nguyen, by holding this event it was also “a way to give back to the community” since he describes that “for four years [he] has received many wonderful things from the community and this is just a small part of [him] wanting to give back.”
The reason behind why he chose to have JV’s performances was to “attract more people to come” as many remarkable acts were put on that night, “with addition of [his] event being free.” Nguyen added that “[he] was a performer in JV’s” and so, “[he] is close with the performers who happily agreed to take part in the event.”
A few of the performances were given by the Step Team, senior and NHS president Birukti Tsige who presented a poem called “How To Translate a Joke” by Emi Mahmoud, senior Michelle Chan sang “I’m Here” from The Color Purple Musical, and an instrumental duet performed by senior Renet Chan and sophomore Donald Ford to the song “No Tears Left To Cry” by Ariana Grande.
Originally, Nguyen said that “[he] wanted a small event for the public to come and draw cards for the children in Boston Children's Hospital.”
However, he mentioned that NHS advisor Paul Marques and NHS alumni Sydney Addorisio, “encouraged [him] to create an event that would bring joy to the community while simultaneously raising money.”
Marques believes that the project for NHS members is “a reflection of the student’s own self” as they have the freedom to “decide what it is, the intensity of the impact, etc.” As a result, “they get to see their true selves in their project” Marques stated.
He further explained that NHS allows students to have that “leadership component which marks the difference of who and how they appear in the world.”
For Nguyen, he expressed that NHS has “showed [him] the meaning of community service” which enabled him to “learn a lot throughout the years.” And two important figures he is grateful for is Tsige and Marques as they both have taught him what it means to “exemplify a leader, taking matters into your own hands, and being a team player.”
