2. The 15th Annual Henry T. Nomura Creative Essay Competition for ESL Writers Laney College Laney College The 15th Annual Henry T. Nomura Creative Essay Competition for ESL Writers Laney College

3. 2009 THEME The things we leave behind.

6. Class Finalists Beginning Level Jinwen Chen “What I Left Behind When I Came to the U.S.” Hataiporn Dawson** “My Mother Who I Left Behind” Denis Gomez-Calderon “My Aunt’s Breakfast” Yodem Gyamchho “Difficulties and Happiness” Kimberly Iwamoto “Why Not to Left Behind?” Rui Li “The Things I Left in China” Dieu Hien Nguyen “Leaving Behind My Best Brother” Mai Nguyen “What the Heart Kissed Goodbye” Thy Nguyen “What I Will Miss Most”

7. Class Finalists Beginning Level Sofia Perlov“What I Leave Behind” Prince Tse Tse“The Thing I Left in My Home Country that I Miss the Most” Minci Xie“My Happy Life and My Dreams in America” Frank S.H. Xu“A Formula of Life” Zhanying (Shirlia) Yang“The Job is Important to My Life” Yaesol Yoon“My Mountain and My Job” Kumi Xiao*“Keys” John Zhu“Jade” Guang Min Wan“My Favorite Book in China”

9. Class Finalists Intermediate Level Nicha Chaikrissadakorn“I Left Myself Behind” Su Juan Chen“The Memory of My Mother Left Behind in My Country” Loc Do“Love” Tram Cao“My Best Friend, Hien” Daewon Kim“Two Things That I Did Not Bring to America” Rachael Lam“Friends I Left Behind in Hong Kong” Seung Yeop Lee*“My Oasis in the Desert”

10. Class Finalists Intermediate Level Linfang Li**“A Person Whom I am Missing: My Best Friend” Na Lin“Glad to Leave One Feeling Named Stress” Ri Zhao Lu“A Person Whom I Miss” Diedjiga Medjoudj“The Life I Left Behind” Tam Nguyen“My Studying Before and After” Biruk Retta “My Lovely Church” Eanly Thong“My Self Confidence” Hong Yee“Leaving Poverty” Zuri Zhang“Memories of My Father”

12. Class Finalists Advanced Level Cheung Hong“National Spirit” Rezak Hadi“My Diamond” Nanci Ignacio“A Treasure I Left Behind” Ke (Sara) Kim“Beyond Yearning” Min Woo Kong“My Behind Story” Kieu Lu**“Leaving Me Behind” Mai Nhu Ly“Is It Still Available?” Nancy Matzauk“My Cousin” Jeanne Mulgodi “Something I Left Behind When I Moved to the U.S.” Baolin Su“Father, Mother, I Love You”

13. On a windy evening, my heart is wandering like drifting clouds towards my hometown. As the hazy moon in the spring night becomes pale and the warm wind begins to blow, I recall the smell of my hometown’s ocean. I also recall the fragrance of spring flowers along the wooden fence of my old house. When this spring is over, the flowers will fall in the alley in front of my old house. I also recall the splendor of green hills on Dragonhead Mountain and see many layers of white foam on the long beach in my hometown. (Ke Kim) Now, I am happy that I left the feeling which made me feel uncomfortable and stressed. I can have a free selective right to live my own life. Here, no one will despise you even though you aren’t rich, or you don’t graduate from a famous university. I can choose what I need, what I like, and what I want. Here I can have the live I really want to have – a stress-free life. (Na Lin)

14. Second Place Winner Beginning Level Hataiporn Dawson Beginning Level Hataiporn Dawson

15. Second Place Winner Intermediate Level Linfang Li

16. Second Place Winner Advanced Level Kieu Lu

17. I missed the smell of the incense being shaken by a priest all around the church……..I miss the people who were devoted to their faith gathered there for three to four hours to pray…….I miss the way they dressed in white traditional handmade shawls to keep them warm in the morning……. I miss the holy water that we drank and was also sprinkled on our heads. (Biruk Retta) During the fall, I could collect chestnuts and acorns. During the winter, it was beautiful because of snowfall. After the snowfall, there was snow that looked like flowers on the branches. (Yaesol Yoon)

18. First Place Winner Beginning Level Kumi Xiao

19. First Place Winner Keys I left my important mementos in my country, my old house keys. They seemed to have magic. In my opinion, those keys meant that my family always loved me. I knew that I had to go home when I saw those keys after I finished classes. I knew that I had arrived home when I took out my keys at the front door of the house. I used to see my parents’ and my sister's smiles, and they would say, "Welcome home," when I used those keys to open the door. Kumi Xiao

20. First Place Winner Intermediate Level Seung Yeop Lee

21. First Place Winner After a dull fouteeen hour flight, I finally arrived at the San Francisco International Airport. The sun was shining as the cool, refreshing breeze brushed against my face. I came to America with the thought that I would be able to start and lead a different life than the one I had before in Korea, my home country. Nevertheless, I was ultimately here in America, and anticipated the freedom of being a college student living in America, "the land of opportunity,” without anyone to tell me what to do, to pressure me on how I should live my life. On the other hand, prior to my arrival, I felt uneasy and unconfident that I would not be able to be responsible for myself without the help of anyone else. Most importantly, before I came here, I left many precious things behind: my family, my friends, and my life back home which brought anxiety and concern, because it finally hit me that living in America meant that no one was going to help me and I was going to have to be more self-reliant than ever before. Seung Yeop Lee

22. First Place Winner Advanced Level Xiali Liang

23. First Place Winner Escape from Pollution When I was in Guangzhou, the bad air meant endless cleaning, repeating illness and frequent depression. Whenever I came home from work, I was wrapped up with dust. My hair was oily with dirt, and I had to use shampoo twice to wash it since the first time usually was gray and had no bubbles. My face was even worse. If I used some paper towel to clean it, the paper towel would turn gray. Since the dirt was all over the environment, the sky was no longer blue. It became an unmovable cloud, which was huge enough to press down the whole city. In the morning, the sun just showed like a halo, and stars were embedded at night. Staying in this blurred dusky city, I always felt lazy, lethargic and blue. By comparison, without the air pollution, my life in California is totally different. Although California is also a thriving place which has a lot of cars and factories, the government places importance on how to protect our surroundings. Moreover, the sea breeze helps blow out tons of pollutants. My hair is not greasy any more, and it keeps delicate and graceful all day long. When I touch it, it gently slides down from my hand. In addition, the facial tissues remain white after I wipe my face, for there is not much dirt on them. Everybody is in a cheerful mood, and is full of energy, especially me, for I am able to see light and hope in front. Xiali Liang

24. Special Thanks To… Dr. Frank Chong, President, Laney College Jim Cave, Theater Department Nancy Lee, Instructional Media

25. Special Thanks To… The Associated students of Laney College The Peralta Colleges Foundation The Family of Mr. Henry T. Nomura

26. Special Thanks To… You! Thank you for joining us today.