2004 VSU president dies
By Harold Lee
Nov. 18, 2004 9:00 p.m.
Steven Thang Quoc Le, 2003-2004 president of UCLA’s
Vietnamese Student Union, was active in bringing Vietnamese
community issues to UCLA. Le died Nov. 11 of undisclosed causes in
Orange County. He was 22.
Born Dec. 26, 1981, in Thailand, Le was the second oldest of
four children and immigrated to Orange County with his family in
1984.
Le was active with VSU for much of his time at UCLA and
encouraged others in the group to take an interest in the
Vietnamese community by informing them of human rights and
religious freedom issues in Vietnam.
“He brought all the issues going on in the Vietnamese
community back to UCLA to inform us and to encourage further
discussion,” said My-Dung Tran, Le’s roommate and
fellow VSU member.
During his involvement with VSU, Le encouraged others, like
second-year mathematics and statistics student Shawn Do, to stay
involved.
Do said he himself was too emotional to share memories, but
remembered Le as “always there to inspire people.”
Le also volunteered in the Higher Opportunity Program for
Education, VSU’s high school outreach program, through which
volunteers mentor high school students.
Some of Le’s hobbies included writing music, playing the
cello, and fixing computers.
He entered his fifth year at UCLA as a mathematics student with
a minor in Asian American studies.
Le is survived by his father, Thai, his mother, Oanh Nguyen, his
brothers, Thanh and Thach, and his sister Thu.
Private services have already been held and there will also be a
memorial service at 6 p.m. on Monday at the James West Alumni
Center.
