SUNY Maritime College Annual Report 2021-2022

THE IMPACT OF DONORS Captain Mang Vo Endowed SST Scholarship

C aptain Mang Vo has encountered many challenges throughout his life. Not one to simply overcome adversity, he has thrived while overcoming life’s obstacles. Born and raised in Vietnam, Vo was a member of the South Vietnamese Navy during the Vietnam War, eventually being promoted to the rank of LTJG. As the war became more harrowing in favor of the North Vietnamese military, Vo’s ship and crew mates wisely sought safe passage and found sanctuary in the Philippines. He ultimately came to the United States as a refugee, knowing only a few words of English. Determined and a self-starter, he improved his language skills and fluency by rising early each morning to view a television program that taught basic English. Vo had a supportive sponsor in New Jersey who assisted him with securing a job as a maintenance and machine operator in a plastics plant, but his desire for seafaring was strong (his grandfather and father were mariners). That is when he decided to pursue a Maritime College degree at Fort Schuyler. Although English was his second language and he was older than many of his peers, Vo’s unrelenting effort and ambition to succeed would propel him to be in the top 10 percent of his graduating class in 1981 where he earned a bachelor ’s degree in Marine Transportation. Following graduation, Vo spent the next 29 years working for SeaRiver Maritime, Inc. where he served in various capacities including Master, Mate, and Operations Coordinator. He obtained

Photo by: Marilyn Williams

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Annual Report 2021-2022