Matthew Vu

My name is Matthew Vu. I was born in California and I have two younger brothers. My parents are the refugee children of a war-torn Vietnam and my favorite thing in the entire world is music. So far in my life, I’ve learned to play eight instruments; I hope that number continues to grow. Because I have the ability to play these instruments, I have had the opportunity to perform in a wide range of situations from musical pit orchestras to a Foster the People concert.

Up to this point, the most influential piece of literature in my life has been “A Sound of Thunder”, a short story by Ray Bradbury. The story illustrates the Butterfly Effect, which states that any small occurrence, such as the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in a particular manner, can eventually cause a massive outcome, such as a storm. After I read this story, I began, for the first time, to consider the importance of my actions and, as a result, I now make unique decisions whenever I can. For example, around the time that I first read “A Sound of Thunder”, I began to play jazz piano, a hobby that probably seems archaic and boring to most. By my senior year of high school, however, I had received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, which is, by far, one my favorite achievements. Although each new, unique decision comes with a chance of having a significant negative consequence, I consider myself to be a pretty lucky gambler.