Twelve-year-old Lan Nguyen boarded a plane by himself and headed for the unknown.
Born in Vietnam, Nguyen grew up with a desire to travel abroad. He visited an international school fair while in elementary school, where he was first introduced to the name Chaminade.
“I was looking to go to the U.S. to explore a new life, explore new opportunities and go to a new high school,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen, who spoke fluent English at age 9, saw his older sister Tracy travel to attend school in Japan. With a similar yearning to live in an unfamiliar place, he filled out an application to Chaminade and was accepted.
He submitted the necessary paperwork and found a flight bound for St. Louis.
“Traveling is something my parents always wanted to do when they were young,” Nguyen said. “They couldn’t do much with what they had, so it was on my sister and me to go abroad.”
He entered Chaminade as a 7th grader and became a quiet observer, not feeling comfortable in his new setting right away.
“I was a little timid at first. I thought, ‘I don’t know how this is going to be.’ The first couple weeks were a little tough,” Nguyen said.
He did not play sports in Vietnam, but he decided to join the Chaminade football program as a 7th grader, where he developed an appreciation for being part of a team.
He enjoyed his academic classes, developed friendships and began to feel validated that his decision to come to the United States was the right one.
“The first semester went great, the first year went great, and I thought, ‘Yeah, this is where I want to be. I know it’s going to work,’” Nguyen said.
He joined the Chaminade lacrosse program as an 8th grader and has been an important member of both the football and lacrosse programs throughout his school career.
“It is really cool to have him,” Chaminade coach James Spink said. “His whole backstory, to have that awareness and that drive, it’s just incredible to me.”
Now a senior, Nguyen is one of 10 students considered a house captain at Chaminade – the equivalent of a class president. He is a member of National Honor Society and a leader of the Spanish Club Society – the third language he speaks fluently.
Nguyen lives in the dormitories at Chaminade and ensures that students who reside there involve themselves in the school culture.
“We always have a handful of kids who live in the dorms who join the lacrosse program every year, and that’s 100 percent because of Lan,” Spink said. “He just grabs random kids who are hanging out and says, ‘You are not going to just do nothing here, you are going to be a part of this.’”
Nguyen’s leadership within the school carries over to the lacrosse field, where despite limited playing time, he contributes greatly to the team’s success.
“It’s hard for him to crack the lineup because his (senior) class is so talented, but he is on the sideline every game, talking it up, keeping everybody engaged, leading cheers. He’s the first voice I hear when we ask for an echo,” Spink said.
Nguyen is planning to attend college in the United States and is looking at Xavier, Georgetown and St. Louis University, among others. Until then, he plans to make the most of his final semester of high school, which includes helping Chaminade reach the state championship game in lacrosse for the first time since 2017.
“I try to be good practice player, cheer on the team and do anything I can to help us win a championship,” Nguyen said.
For Spink, the value of having Nguyen in the program is immeasurable.
“We always talk about the pillars of effectiveness. One of the pieces of the first pillar is being a culture-add, and Lan is the perfect example of that,” Spink said. “He is truly a guy you want to lean on. He is a great leader of men.”
Chaminade (6-0) will play at CBC at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday before hosting eight-time defending state champion MICDS at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3.