Katie Barlow

I was born into a world without electricity, the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, where my family of 10 shared hardships including starvation. My sister worked in the city and told stories of television when she visited. Her stories mesmerized me, the idea of sound and images moving over wires sparked my imagination. Although I didn’t know it until later, my sister sacrificed herself in the city to support our family, enabling me to attend school. (She died last year of HIV leaving two daughters, orphans, age 3 and 12 who I now support). As a child, I loved learning, especially math. Ultimately, I became the only child to pass college entrance exams.

However, my dreams collided with tradition. My aspirations to pursue electrical engineering, were dashed by the words of my father, “no, it is for men,” he said. And so, with a heavy heart, I studied economics. While I thrived, I yearned for that unfulfilled dream. Life took an unexpected turn when I met an American engineer while teaching Vietnamese. Our marriage led to new beginnings in the United States, yet it was also the beginning of hard times. Financial strains and an unhappy relationship led to heartbreak and divorce, but friends and family helped encourage my dreams! And after a 3hr phone call with an admissions officer who tried to say “NO,” but finally said “YES,” I found myself at the University of Rhode Island starting a journey in Electrical Engineering. At last, I found the joy of embracing the challenge I was once barred from. I attained a 4.0 first semester including a nearly perfect score in Calculus II receiving the highest grade in a class.

Prior to attending URI, I became active in chess, earning a few small championships, I interned in the laboratory of Nobel Prize winner Craig Mello where I was later hired as a paid technician conducting research in gene editing. Prior to that I worked as a translator helping Vietnamese native speakers navigate social challenges. My life in America has been a mix of hard times and relentless striving for personal growth. Now in second semester, as I crunch computer coding, quantum physics, and design electrical circuits, I see more than numbers and theories; I see opportunities for change and hope for a brighter future. My journey from a village without electricity to a degree in electrical engineering is a full-circle I’m determined to close! I wish my sister could be here to see me now! I look at my journey and the challenges ahead as steps that may someday inspire other children who have been told “NO.” For this reason, I helped my sister start a business in Bac Liu that employs street kids to help run activities including chess club and roller skating. My dream is to build bridges for these kids. Bridges of opportunity that can span worlds. I may be studying engineering—but I’m also engineering change. And this is just the beginning.