Family Immigrant Roots Inspire Medical Career for USU Student
USU medical student says his family's experiences with American values and generosity influenced his decision to seek a career in military medicine.
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| Ensign Clarence Mai credits his parents and other family members for their inspiration that led to his pursuit of a career in medicine. (Photo credit: Ensign Clarence Mai, USU) |
April 14th, 2023 By Vivian Mason
“Nobody in my family is a doctor,” says U.S. Navy Ensign Clarence Mai. “Yet, they inspired me to pursue medicine.”
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Ensign Clarence Mai receives his White Coat, signifying his entrance into the medical profession. Ensign Mai was inspired to pursue medicine as a way to give back to the country that has supported his Vietnamese immigrant family. (Photo credit: Ensign Clarence Mai, USU) |
“Since most of my immediate family were refugees after the war,” Mai says, “their experiences with the generosity and values of the American people greatly influenced my decision to seek a career in military medicine.”
When the war started, his mother was working to become an acupuncturist, but had to stop her studies when the country was taken over by the communist regime. She later left Vietnam and moved to the United States, where she worked as an administrative assistant for a high school counselor before she got her bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Mai’s father came to the United States in the 1970s as one of the “boat people” who fled in fishing vessels. “He actually settled in New Mexico,” says Mai, “before moving to Northern California in the 1980s and meeting my mom in the 1990s.”
“My parents always reminded me of the great opportunities we have here in the United States,” says Mai. “I was also very grateful that my family showed me what good role models looked like. They believed that in America, one can truly become the person that one chooses, and my family never lost touch with that belief.”
Mai says his mom’s side of the family ended up “in a refugee camp in the Philippines from the 1980s to the 1990s before they were sponsored to come to the United States.” Most of his mother’s extended family came to California mainly through the refugee processing areas in Camp Pendleton, and they ended up settling mainly in Orange County and San Jose.
After arriving in the United States, Mai’s grandfather became an instructor at a beauty college. His grandmother worked as a nanny, and Mai says she never forgot the American family she worked for and their generosity, “which included supporting my mom and grandparents when they first came to the United States, as well as purchasing baby clothes and supplies for me when I was born. My grandmother continues to keep in touch with them via letters and cards, and still endearingly calls the husband and wife her ‘bosses.’”
Mai notes that his actual birthplace is San Jose, California. He watched his parents work hard to provide a life for him, while also serving as a source of inspiration. And, Mai elaborates, being the child of immigrants, he is exposed to both American and Vietnamese cultures simultaneously. “It expanded my worldview and made me appreciate the differences and similarities between cultures.”
Giving and Gratitude
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Ensign Clarence Mai says the experiences of his grandfather, a South Vietnamese Army veteran, helped shape his decision to pursue medicine. (Photo credit: Ensign Clarence Mai, USU) |
His grandfather often told him stories about the war, detailing how a heroic rescue by the U.S. Marines meant the difference between life and death when a nighttime Viet Cong ambush led to a firefight in his area. He never forgot the heroic efforts of those individuals.
“Without the Department of the Navy,” declares Mai, “my family wouldn’t be in the United States today. That story inspired me to go into military medicine and pushed me to join the Navy. It was a way to give thanks to those Marines who saved my family more than 40 years ago.”
He continues, “Given my family’s status as Vietnamese refugees, I wanted to combine my love of medicine with a way to serve my country. I wanted to give back for not only what the United States did for my family, but also what they did for all the other Vietnamese immigrants who came here.”
His grandfather also told stories about the reeducation camps where the typical meals were usually a bowl of rice with a small piece of salted fish.
“My grandfather said that he was pretty sure the only reason he survived being in the reeducation camp was because he taught himself how to cut hair and became the camp’s barber. He was able to avoid a lot of really hard labor that way.”
His grandmother talked about how the communists would systematically pass laws and rules to take control of land and force people to give up their valuables. “My mom’s old childhood home is now part of a Vietnam airlines travel office,” says Mai.
Mai’s family has always spoken admiringly of the United States and all the wonderful things that this country stands for: freedom, opportunity, human rights, human dignity, equality, and justice.
“My family never took for granted the liberties associated with this country.”
Mai also heard stories about an uncle who crawled through the sewer tunnels to escape the communists. This uncle eventually came to the United States in the 1970s, settled in Northern California, and is currently a retired auto mechanic.
“When I see refugees on television fleeing their countries,” Mai says, “sometimes it’s difficult to imagine the gravity of the hardships that they’re experiencing. However, growing up, my parents always reminded me to value the freedom and safety that we have here. Sometimes, it’s so easy to focus on what we lack in life, rather than appreciate the simple things that just about everyone takes for granted.”
In Pursuit of Medicine
“Throughout my life,” explains Mai, “I’ve always been taught to love education and to have a strong work ethic. When I look back on the culture I grew up in, there is so much to be grateful for and proud of. It’s a great source of strength and has allowed me to develop close relationships and personal ties. I’ve received a lot of support, and I want to pay that forward.”
Mai insists that he didn’t really consider medicine until he did volunteer work as an undergraduate for a low-income family clinic in Venice, California. He confesses that during his freshman year in college, he became involved with some of the on-campus pre med and volunteer groups.
“When working with the residents and family medicine doctors,” he claims, “I saw their interactions with the patients and liked the rapport they built with them. I enjoyed those relationships and the continuity of care that was exhibited. I liked the small differences that the doctors could make during those 20-minute appointments. That’s what grabbed me.”Even though he didn’t have any prior military experience, Mai was intrigued by USU when he saw a PBS documentary on military medicine. When it was mentioned that the military had its own medical school, he looked it up.
Then, he visited USU. “I just loved the energy that the students had here and how open they were when they discussed medical school. I thought the vibe here was so great and that made my decision easy for me.”
And, naturally, Mai’s parents are highly supportive.
“They have a very positive opinion of the U.S. military. They’re very happy that I’m involved in the U.S. armed forces. I think [my pursuit of] medicine is a big source of pride for them, too. Although there are nurses, pharmacists, and dentists in our family, I’ll be the first physician.”
Mai continues, “I liked getting immersed at USU, with both its military medicine program and the military culture. Being able to wear the uniform while in medical school is a huge source of pride for me. My grandfather was super excited to know that I not only joined the military, but was also on my way to becoming a doctor.”
As a military physician, Mai hopes to eventually pursue an operational billet with a Marine aviation squadron and also be able to participate in the Navy's Pacific Partnership Program that has a mission trip to Vietnam.
Currently, Mai is taking a family medicine elective at Naval Hospital Yokosuka in Japan. Upon graduation, he will be completing a residency in family medicine in Florida at Naval Hospital Jacksonville.
As for a long-term goal after the military, he hopes to engage in a practice that focuses on patients who are recent immigrants to the United States.
“My parents’ commitment to a better future kept me from a life of poverty and oppression, and eventually led me to medicine. My family continues to remind me to be true to myself and follow my own path. I was able to do all of this through their visions and beliefs in America. I chose this profession to help others, and I don’t think my family could be happier.”
