Seek MORE with Van Sui
- Chi Nguyen
- Jul 13
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 25
This Summer, we will be highlighting our five lovely interns, who are part of the MORE Magazine team. Seek MORE by reading their stories on who they are and why they chose MORE Magazine.
I am the embodiment of love, dedication, and hard work—a living testament to the powerful saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.”
Hello, my name is Van Sui, and I am a rising sophomore at the IU Indianapolis Kelley School of Business. I am from Hlamphei, a small village hidden in the mountainous regions of Myanmar. Next month marks 19 years since my parents and I immigrated to the United States in search of religious freedom and a better future. Fortunately, we didn’t embark on this journey alone—60% of our village came with us. Rather than dispersing across the country, we chose to stay together in Indianapolis and take on this new world side by side. Every mother became “Auntie,” and every child a brother or sister. We supported each other through challenges—poverty, mental health struggles, and the difficulties of adapting to a new culture. What first began as a small, unknown village on the other side of the world evolved into something even greater: a resilient and united community.
My identity is deeply rooted in my cultural heritage and the shared struggles of self-sacrifice and perseverance exemplified by my people. Growing up in the U.S. made me different from my village. I became one of the first to graduate from the fifth grade—an achievement many of my aunties and uncles never had the opportunity to reach. I also became fluent in English, but at the cost of gradually losing fluency in my native language, Zophei. Unlike Spanish, French, and German, Zophei wasn’t offered as a language class in school. I could only learn it from a few family members who spoke it fluently. At first, I felt disconnected from this part of my identity.
But instead of giving up, I leaned in. I realized if I didn’t make the effort to preserve our language and culture, who would? I took it upon myself to learn, so I could one day teach my younger siblings and keep our heritage alive. Now, I am proud to say my siblings and I fluently communicate in our native tongue every day.
Seeking MORE to me means to do more for the people I love – the ones who raised, loved, and shaped me. It means sharing our stories and opening doors for others. I am grateful to be in a position where I get to introduce people to the beauty of Hlamphei. I am proud to advocate for family and friends who aren’t able to do so themselves. MORE Magazine’s mission to inspire, educate, and call people to action resonated with my values of education, community, and advocacy. With MORE, I hope to further my education outside of the classroom walls and grow through real, meaningful conversations about the experiences of other passionate changemakers.
