"I'm an ocean away from home," says Khoa Pham '07 of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. "So at Bates, community is very important to me."

Khoa, a double major in economics and politics, describes a vibrant international community at Bates. He hopes to encourage an even greater number of U.S. students to participate in activities organized by their international classmates. "Many American students are curious about different cultures," he says. "We have an amazing opportunity to exchange ideas and cultures."   

Joined by Trang Nguyen '07 of Hanoi, Vietnam, and with financial support from Bates, Khoa established a forum called VietAbroader. The program supports Vietnamese students studying in the United States and helps other Vietnamese students who want to study here. Linking students at home and abroad, VietAbroader has organized seminars in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The program's growth has attracted support from other U.S. colleges and Vietnamese businesses.

With support from a 2006 Bates College Otis Fellowship, Khoa investigated the transformation of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, "a powerful symbol of the Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War," he says, into a national infrastructure. He traveled through six provinces along the Ho Chi Minh Highway to investigate the economic, social and cultural impact of the $2 billion public works project on small communities.

Khoa's senior thesis explores the relationship between social exclusion and globalization for ethnic minorities in Vietnam. "Is globalization good for people already excluded from society?" asks Khoa.