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Van Nhi Ho, M.A. in Counseling

If you’ve ever walked into the Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Center’s lounge, attended a program centering on the LGBTQ+ community, walked in a rally for women’s rights, or even just checked out a table during International Women’s Day, chances are that you’ve seen the smiling and friendly face of Van Nhi Ho.   

You’ve seen her setting up the space in the lounge for one of the multiple support groups the center hosts, giving speeches that make you laugh or cry depending on the event, making posters and handing out adorable pins and stickers that cover your notebooks and laptops.  

What you don’t see, however, is the person whom Ho considers her greatest motivation for working so hard to make ������Ƶ’s campus inclusive and welcoming for all – little Van in high school, who sought guidance from a counselor who didn’t understand her and where she was coming from.  

“I went to counseling for the first time in high school, and when I had some issues with my family, she told me, ‘Well, why don’t you just change it? Why don’t you stand up and talk back to your mother?’ And I was instantly like, ‘Oh my God, you don’t understand,’” Ho said. “There were no Asian counselors – someone who understood the culture and to be able to meet me where I’m at. It was a very clear wake-up call for me: they don’t know and are making assumptions based on what they do know. That was when I knew that counseling was for me. I want to meet the little Vans of the world and be able to tell her, ‘You’re not alone, and there are ways to talk to your family that will be successful.’”  

To do that, Ho graduated with a degree in Psychology from ������Ƶ in 2022 and is earning her this month.  

While at ������Ƶ, Ho used her voice and talents to effect change as a student leader. Notably, she successfully advocated for a white coat ceremony for the Counseling program.

“I think the most unique opportunity at ������Ƶ is that, if you genuinely think or want it, you will find the people who will make that dream come true. If I have any aspiration or any dream, I can track down the people who believe in me to get it done,” Ho said. “Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy all get their white coats, but Counseling doesn’t. I talked to my cohort, and we felt this is so important to us, so I talked to my director. We then created the and advocated for the ceremony, which will be happening this year.” 

Ho and the club also were able to host a Black History Month program where counselors of color where able to share their experiences in the field with students in the program. Through advocacy, Ho has been able to cultivate a community wherever she is, which has proved important at times she finds herself in doubt over her abilities.  

“In the beginning, my biggest obstacle was myself and telling myself that I was either dreaming too big or too small. I would think, ‘Why am I not doing this?’ or ‘Look at this person's program and how amazing it was – you need to do something bigger and better,’” she said.  

“I was at the lowest in my academic career, handing in stuff late and not feeling my best, and it wasn't until I was like, ‘But look at what you have done,’ and started shifting my mindset and genuinely relying on the people who have hyped me up that it changed,” Ho said. “There have been times when I come into the WGSC office or my cohort program looking a hot mess but come out laughing or crying tears of joy, all because I asked for help. It was definitely hard, but overcoming it included relying on amazing people to always make me feel good.” 

Ho has a bright future ahead of her: she plans to earn her counseling license and pursue a doctoral degree. The undercover fashionista who hopes to outdress her future colleagues (“Fashion is the true expression of someone’s aura”) aims to help all marginalized communities but has her sights set specifically on the LGBTQ+ and indigenous populations. In the meantime, she’ll miss the people at ������Ƶ who helped her in her journey to greatness, such as her close friends in her cohort and Laurie Dutton, director of the WGSC.  

“In my head, the way I envision myself is like little LEGO pieces that people keep adding on, and I just see these LEGO pieces that have come from ������Ƶ specifically,” Ho said. “My friends and my professors added their little blocks, and I'm this whole branch of a person solely because I came here, and if I didn't, I wouldn't be here. These people poured in their energy, love, heart, belief and faith into me, so I’ll definitely miss that the most.”