Clarke Central High School senior Andrew Nyugen sits outside of the Ceremonial Entrance during third lunch on Aug. 25. Nyugen moved from San Leandro, CA to Athens for his final year of high school to reconnect with family, and has begun to adjust to his new home. “(When my parents told me I was moving), I was like, ‘Are you guys serious or is this a joke? My senior year, Mom? Really? You’re gonna move me out there?’ I was worried I was not gonna have friends because everybody was gonna have their own groups,” Nguyen said. “But I found friends. They were new here, too, their first year here, too, senior year. We really connected.” Photo by Natalie Ripps
The ODYSSEY Media Group will provide viewers with stylized profiles that center on people in the Athens community telling their own stories.
After moving from his home-state of California to Athens for his final year of high school, Clarke Central High School senior Andrew Nguyen has learned to embrace the unfamiliarity of the Southern culture that surrounds him.
Walking down the hall filled with new faces, he locks eyes with a student, but expects no reaction. To his astonishment, he is greeted with a smile and a friendly “hello.”
While this simple gesture may seem completely ordinary to the typical Southern high schooler, it is not to Clarke Central High School senior Andrew Nguyen.
Andrew was born in the city of Oakland, California, in 2001. Growing up in the Golden State, the young boy did not have a worry in the world. He possessed a passion for his home and community.
Within five years, the Nguyen family relocated, allowing Andrew to carry on this love to his new home of San Leandro, California, a short 15-minute-drive from his hometown.
Andrew settled into his new home of San Leandro until his junior year of high school, not knowing he would soon witness a complete change for his final year of high school, in scenery, attitude and people.
When his parents informed him of their plans to move to Athens to reunite with family for his senior year, everything changed.
Walking into CCHS on the first day, Andrew was surprised to be greeted by friendly smiles and waves in the halls from strangers.
“They’re not this friendly over (in) California. The people over there in Cali are more reserved. If they want to talk to you, they’ll talk to you. Like, if we’re friends and we walk by each other, we’ll say, ‘Hi.’ But over here, it’s like everybody just knows everybody,” Nguyen said.
Clar
ke Central High School senior Andrew Nyugen stands outside of the Ceremonial Entrance during third lunch on Aug. 25. Nyugen moved from San Leandro, CA to Athens for his final year of high school to reconnect with family, and has begun to adjust to his new home. “(When my parents told me I was moving), I was like, ‘Are you guys serious or is this a joke? My senior year, Mom? Really? You’re gonna move me out there?’ I was worried I was not gonna have friends because everybody was gonna have their own groups,” Nguyen said. “But I found friends. They were new here, too, their first year here, too, senior year. We really connected.” Photo by Natalie Ripps
Despite his initial shock, Andrew believes the friendly nature of Athens’ tight-knit community has made his move a comfortable transition. While he is still adjusting to the change in environment and friendliness that the South has to offer, he has developed an appreciation for the differences present in Athens.
