DuyAnh’s story is just one example of that.

In the Spring he will become a pharmacist, graduating from the University of Southern California, specializing in Intravenous Infusions, having worked and researched in the heat of a pandemic. His dream is to own a community pharmacy. For now he provides at home or in-clinic care for patients who can’t be in the hospital.

DuyAnh joined JAG as an after-school club his junior year, at the behest of his English as a Second Language Tutor. Struggling to adjust to America, to his new school, to a new language. JAG was DuyAnh’s first attempt at joining a club. He was nervous at first, of course, but he quickly found a place he belonged - and a latch onto his new life.

DuyAnh attended the National Leadership Conference in the summer of 2012, where he fell under JAG Central Office Staff Diannah Harrier’s wing. DuyAnh was one of nine students representing Arizona in Washington D.C. that summer. He won third place in that conference's Employment Skill Competition. “Everything was like a dream… I don’t remember and I don’t know how I was able to achieve all that. A lot of it was Mrs. Harrier… how she guided us, enabled us to be confident. The most important thing is to be confident in yourself.” DuyAnh had his grasp on things now. A year later he came back and swept the competition, winning 1st place. Graduating in 2013, he went on to Arizona State University, beginning school to be a Computer Systems Engineer.

D.C. DuyAnh was introduced to the College Success Arizona Program by Mrs Harrier. DuyAnh worked hard on the application, with Diannah writing him a letter of recommendation. He won the Arizona Diamondback Scholarship: 24,000$ over four years to attend ASU.
DuyAnh was assigned a monthly mentor, meeting with them on campus throughout his four years in college. For DuyAnh, winning this scholarship was like a door opening, “When I applied to ASU I was studying to be a Computer Systems Engineer. But when I found out I was able to get it [The Diamondback Scholarship] I felt I had the opportunity to follow my dream.” Whereas before the long schooling required for the medical field had been too expensive, too much time before DuyAnh could contribute money to his family, he was now able to buckle down and set his sights on medicine. “College is already a big step, a lot of students want to get good jobs and support their families, but with this scholarship I was able to end up in pharmacy school.” Studying Biochemistry as an undergraduate, DuyAnh went on to Pharmacy School at the University of Southern California. He graduated this May (2021) and is a full time Pharmacist.