Three Tigard graduates all sat down together in the living room at Que Minh Nguyen’s house to reminisce about their past experiences at Tigard High, their thoughts on the construction, and what they remembered about their high school life.

     Alumna Teresa Do graduated just last year and is currently attending the University of Portland. Do was involved in many clubs at Tigard including the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), Young Asian Leaders of America (YALA), Key Club, and Japanese Honors Society. She was president and co-president for HOSA and YALA, all while maintaining a GPA of over 4.0.

     2005 alumnus Nam Nguyen works for a solar company and taking care of his wife as well as his two young children. During his time at Tigard High, he enjoyed playing video games in his computer classes and playing basketball.

     Que Minh Nguyen (Class of 2001) graduated from Portland Community College in 2008 and has been working as a dental assistant for 10 years. During her high school days Que enjoyed playing tennis, studying, and being a part of Key Club where she earned $1,000 scholarship.

     Though many of the memories have faded over the years, they can still recall how hard it was to immigrate from Vietnam to America while still being young teenagers.

     “I don’t remember much about the building, except for the fact that it was very big to me since schools in Vietnam were half the size of Tigard High,” Nam said. “I slacked off most of my high school years anyways, but I remember when we would sell our lunch tickets to other kids for 30 cents less because we had free and reduced lunches.”

     The alumni all shared a laugh together, but all agreed that the amount of dedication you put into school and your grades will affect your life down the road.

     “I had to work twice as hard to keep up with the other kids since I was still new to the language, but I’m glad I worked hard in high school because it really affected the scholarships I earned which impacted my decision to go to what college I wanted,” Que said. “Mr. Massey had guided me through AP chemistry and taught me many lessons that I still hold onto even at my age today.”

    Minh said that the building itself holds little importance because it was the teachers and staffs who really made a difference. To all of them, the community here at Tigard High was both very welcoming and close-knit.

    “I still keep in contact with most of my teachers, and I often visit, but I’m glad I left before the construction began though,” Do said. “I do wonder what Tigard High will look like twenty or thirty years from now though.”

    Each has taken different paths and has been busy working towards their future goals. Tigard High now remains only in the back of their minds but will never be forgotten.