After interviewing members of Portland’s Vietnamese community about their social and demographic status, source of health care coverage and acculturation variables, Le, who immigrated from Vietnam in 1991, found that a lack of proficiency in English, understanding about the U.S. health care system and financial resources are the main barriers to seeking adequate and appropriate health care.

Le, a dean’s list biology major, is coordinator for the International Club, a member of the Big Brother/Big Sister program and a teaching assistant in bacteriology at Bates. She also serves as a volunteer Vietnamese translator at Maine Medical Center. The daughter of Gia Nguyen of Portland, Le was valedictorian of her class at Portland High School.