At our final RESTORE event of the school year, senior Joseph Ngo shares his powerful journey from Vietnam to Nebraska—reflecting on a life‑altering accident, cultural transition, and the search for purpose far from home. Through moments of loss, faith, and unexpected belonging, Joseph explores what it means to trust the path set before you and to find home in places you never planned to be.
Good evening, everyone. I would like to start with a prayer. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. Lord, Thank you so much for bringing me to this school.
And giving me the opportunity to stand here tonight. Holy Spirit, Please help me in this moment.
Not so that I’m talking, but so that you may talk through me. We pray, Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. I’m so grateful to be here with you guys tonight to share a piece on my journey. Some of you guys know my name is Joseph Huy Ngo. For those who don’t know, I’m an exchange student from Vietnam.
To give you guys how far away from my house, it takes 27 hours away to fly all the way from Vietnam, to this country, to Lincoln, specifically to this school.
Let me give you kind of background about me. I was born into a really strong Catholic family. I have two older sisters who are both married now. Which made me Uncle Huy, they’ve got children, so I’m lucky to have them. But the real story is start with my beloved mom.
She spent every single morning, wake up, go to the daily Mass at 4 AM. Is it nuts? 4 AM?
You guys, you didn’t hear it wrong. And yep, she decided she doesn’t want to go alone. So, she asked me, “Hey, son, you want to altar serve? That’s the 3rd grade young boy to hear, That sounds so cool. “Yep, I’m gonna be at the altar. I’m gonna stand with the priest, do whatever like the priest is doing. I will do that.
I’m so excited. But after that, I realized, I need to wake up at 4 AM, like her. To go to the Mass with her.
And when I have scheduled to serving. Yep, I need to do that and she, wakes me up every single morning when I have schedule. “Wake up, Joe. You don’t want to make priest stand alone at the altar.”
So, yeah, I need to take my responsibility to go. It’s kind of funny memory when I walk with her. Actually, I drive a bicycle with her. I drive her to the church. It’s a really good memory.
In the morning, started early and drive with her to the church. My life just keep going on like that, just going to the Mass, and be served.
And thank God until I came here, I can still have opportunity to serve in this school, in the Mass, in Lincoln Diocese. So, my background is full of … and today, May 6th. It’s kind of impact, today, in a feast day of Altar Serve, all the guys over there. When you guys meet them you guys should say “Congratulations.” Today is the Saint Dominic Savio. He’s so young boy. And but I would like to take you guys back. To the May 1st on May Crowning Day.
Four years ago, on that day, that’s so boring day to me. So the 8th-grade boy, decides to visit his girlfriend, actually, yeah. It’s just boring, so I want to visit my girlfriend.
So … but I want to drive her around. So I take the motorcycle from my parents. That’s illegal.
Absolutely young boy ride. But it sounds so cool. She sit behind me, drive her around.
I’m so excited to bring her, since it was short distance as well. My house and her house, not so far away, so I decide don’t need to wear helmet.
Looking back, that’s was the dumbest decision I have ever made in my life. And when I went through the intersection, a large truck hit in my body and my motorcycle.
I feel like I fly all the way to the sky like a bird, until the gravity drop me all the way down to the street. And my eyes close, I have coma. Coma on 3 days, exactly on 3 days.
When I open my eye, I don’t know what’s going on around, why I sleep on that bed, why a lot of people around me. The first person I saw was my brother in law. He’s standing by my hospital bed.
He told me that … what’s going on, what happening to me.
And he’s supposed to marriage my sister on the end of that May. But I have a crash on the 1st of May. That’s crazy.
And they cancel everything. They have spent months planning their weeding. But when my accident happened, they cancel everything.
And everyone, when see my case, the nurse, the doctor, the police, has all told my parent, the same thing: “We are sorry, but he probably won’t alive.”
My family started preparing for wedding. They were preparing to say ‘goodbye’ to me. But when I woke up, I feel normal, my bones, my brain, my blood, everything, nothing happened.
It was then I realize. My life wasn’t mine anymore. It was a gift.
Today, I just carry only one physical reminder on that day. This small scar on my thumb. Every time, I look at it, I’m reminded that my life didn’t continue by the accident. It was His plan. This was given a second chance, so I can stay alive. And can still be here. After the crash, I became a very practicing Catholic that I have ever met in my life.
I go to the Mass every single day, someday I go to two Mass. I go to adoration. Oh, that’s so amazing memory, me and Jesus.
Until my parent is like, when I transfer to high school. “Yep, son. You should go to international school.”
So what international school? So international school is a school and study under the American educational system, but in Vietnam, in my country. That sounds so cool to me, sounds so good.
I can be American now. So, yeah. I said to them, “yep,” parents, absolutely I’m gonna be there.
But life not easy like that for freshman. When I came to school.
Everyone use English at all. Why they so smart? Why they can be speaking, listening, reading, and writing everything by English.
And I have no clue what’s going on when I go to school. I don’t understand at all what they’re talking about. Why don’t they do Vietnamese at that school? And I struggle. Until, I just really lock into the academic.
And of that time, I forgot who give me a 2nd chance to alive. So the freshman and sophomore year I just really lock in until my parents decide, “Yo, son, you got enough academy now, do you want to study abroad?”
I say, “Oh yeah, absolutely, I’m gonna step up more.” And they offer me United State. I said, “Absolutely no.”
What is that? Australia sounds so good. I got a dance with kangaroo every single day in my life.
I just spend 7 hours, fly from Australia to Vietnam. I can fly in the morning and have a lunch with them in the afternoon.
That sounds so good. Why do you want to I go studying in United States?
And I go study abroad, not you guys. I said it to them. And I’m so excited every day, every single paperwork.
I’m excited to step back, step up, to go study abroad in Australia. And especially my dad tried to convince me by he brought the priest from United States to came. He is Vietnamese American, from this Lincoln Diocese.
He asked me about one of those study abroad in the United States. I say, that I pray, and think about it, and absolutely I want to go to Australia. And when you guys see, you guys can see his picture in the hallway, his name Fr. is Joseph Nguyen, in the hallway here, he is the pastor, in the Vietnamese church in this diocese
And the life so wonderful. I’m excited to go Australia. I applied everything.
But, the life not like I expect. My Australia Visa got denied. On that day, I feel so embarrassed.
I kneel in front of God, I asked him, “Why? Why you make it happen? I love you so much. I go to the mass every single day. Why?”
So, after that day, my dad just remind me about Father Joseph , I start reaching back to him, and he’s so mad about why. Why you say you’re gonna pray, and you think you’re gonna go to Australia, but he’s still, help me go to United States. And I still remember that day, I never forget, July 19, 2024. The day I passed the interview from United States government. Imagine I need to line up a long line, face to face with American government.
They’re gonna ask me a question, what is my purpose came to United States. When I went through, and I pass, and yep, I got it. I’m so excited to go United States now. Not Australia anymore.
But until I research. About a school, I’m gonna go, about a stay, I’m gonna go, Nebraska.
Oh my goodness. I ask myself, is it America? When I think about America, Washington D.C., New York, Florida, California, Texas. What is Nebraska? Am I gonna sleep with a cow and a corn all my life?
That’s, I struggle with that. And about Pope? I heard about Lincoln Pius X.
Wow, I know Pope Pius the 10, he’s so cool. I love him. He my favorite pope.
He the saint and he have the ST in front of his name. How about Lincoln? Where is that at, as well?
And that’s time I struggle. I don’t know what is fully my future on that day. But when I came here, the first thing I realized was not my will, but thine be done.
The 1st time I go to school, that’s so huge. I have no clue, what is my next class? I just picked random people to show me, I show you the schedule and ask them, “hey, can you take me to the next class?”
Probably about 2 weeks, I know my class, but it’s still tough to me. But the good impressed about Pius, faith I can see everywhere. We could see a picture of Jesus and saint, which means I never have that chance can see the Catholic school in Vietnam. They don’t allow Catholic school. That so shames of us.
But everything was so nice. I start making friends, hang out. A lot of people asked me about my life, about my life in Pius, and in the new country. But still day by day, I feel loneliness.
I miss my home, my family, my friends. Why I left everything over to came to the country I have no clue about?
And a day, I asked them, I should decide, visit Jesus. I asked the Campus ministry, and they told me they have the RESTORE. And I decide, “Yep, I have time, so, I should go.” And then I went to the adoration. Here at school, the November 2024 was the 1st time I go.
Just like today, I brought all my challenges to Jesus in the Eucharist. I thought I would just pray and go home. But said, I look around a friend, pray with me.
Beside me, ask me, I realized I wasn’t alone. Yeah, he didn’t just bring me to school.
He brought me to a home, my second home. That night, I didn’t need a party to know I would love it. I feel a peace that told me this is where you supposed to be.
As I look toward in the future. I’m still thinking about the priesthood. I don’t know the full plan yet, that’s America, still have a lot of crazy stuff to experience. But I’m learning to say the words every day, “Not my will but thine be done.” If he saved my life for a reason, I want to spend the rest of my life serving that reason.
In conclusion, I want to borrow the UNL slogan. “No place like Nebraska.” But I would to add more to become “No place like Pius.”
Here people bring me joy and kindness into my life. Pius has truly became my friend. My family. I’m so grateful to grow with you all, to let this experience shape my future, and to strengthen my faith. Amen. Thank you so much.
