BSM welcomes students from all walks of life around the Twin Cities, but it’s not often that the community is enriched by perspectives outside of the metro area. This year, however, BSM has welcomed senior Harrison (Huy) Do, an international student, to finish his high school experience here at BSM.

Do is originally from Rach Giá, Vietnam. He previously studied as an international student in St. Louis, Missouri before coming to BSM for his senior year. “I wanted to find a school that was more academically challenging, and as an international student I can freely travel throughout the United States, and since my family is also here too, I ended up here [BSM],” Do said.

Transferring schools senior year can be pretty difficult both academically and socially, but Do, for the most part, has felt welcomed by the BSM community and the resources made available to him. “BSM gave me a lot of chances to show my talents, help me connect with great teachers and friends, and the community at BSM is welcoming,” Do said.

When international students come to the U.S., it’s pretty common to live with a host family. Do started the year by living with some family, but later reached out to the BSM community for a potential match with a host family. “I am proud to say that I live with a host family because it shows my independence,” Do said.

For Do, academics come first, and with English being his second language, sometimes the schoolwork takes additional time and effort to complete. Despite this, Do is involved in a number of extracurricular activities on the side. “I’m involved in choir, sustainability club, and technical theater working backstage,” Do said.

At times, being the only international student at BSM can feel isolating and the lack of diversity is undismissable, but at other times, it can bring positive consequences. “I am a stand out among other students in this community at BSM, and in the college application pool,” Do said.

As for his plans for next year, Do hasn’t picked out the institution quite yet, but he plans to study biochemistry, with the end goal of becoming a GI doctor. Do also finds himself interested in the business field, hoping one day his interests may coincide to start his own GI practice. “My parents are business owners in Vietnam and I have experiences with communicating with hundreds of thousands of customers, but my dream is to be a GI doctor,” Do said.