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| Sharing the joy! - Photo: Son Tran |
Latest achievement for Phe Bach: Doctoral degree from Drexel University
For a Vietnamese immigrant who couldn’t put a sentence of
English together when he first arrived in the U.S. as a shy, unsophisticated
teenager, Phe Bach has acquired quite the educational resume.
He earned his Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and
Management (Ed.D), with a concentration in Human Resources Development, and
will proudly accept his diploma this Saturday night (June 21) from Drexel
University Sacramento.
Dr. Bach is a strong advocate for education and literally
practices what he preaches. He teaches chemistry in the highly regarded International
Baccalaureate Program at Mira
Loma High School in the San Juan Unified School District. It is considered one
of the best high schools in the greater Sacramento area.
He has come a long
way since his family moved from the Vietnam coastal village called Nhon
Ly, Binh Dinh, to Lincoln, Nebraska in
1991. It was culture shock for Bach, who was thrust into the classroom as a
sophomore when he was 15 years old.
“I was forced to
learn English very quickly,” recalls Dr. Bach of the awkward beginnings in
Lincoln.
The youngest of
eight children, including an adoptive brother, Thao Bach, Dr. Bach graduated
three years later in the top-10 percent of his high school class. He later got
a BS in biology from University of Nebraska, a teaching credential as well as
studied graduate program in Bio-organic chemistry from UC Davis, and his
master’s degree at California State University, Sacramento.
Dr. Bach, 38, acts
as both a teacher and mentor to Mira Loma students and others in various
communities. He also finds time to teach Buddhism to local youth groups such as
Kim Quang Buddhist Youth Association and does the same thing at Folsom State
Prison.
“I like to pay it
forward. It’s always good to give back. This is my way of thanking this country
for what it has given me,” Dr. Bach said.
Dr. Bach is married to Trang Nguyen, and the couple has two
boys (Khang, 8 and Kiet, 6). Yet Dr. Bach still finds time to volunteer and
follow another passion: poetry.
He has written 5 books, including 4 poetry books. He also
encourages everyone to be a leader in his or her own right.
"Mindful leader is the one who leads inside out with
understanding, compassion, and wisdom,” Dr. Bach said.
