By Ho Nguyen

I tell all my friends and relatives back on the east coast that I’m on an extended vacation…for over eight years now. And that’s exactly what it is every day in Santa Monica, a happy vacation. What I didn’t know when I moved here eight years ago was how involved I would be in the community. Just trying to survive was the only thing I could think about the first year, but then I learned that to really be successful and happy with where I am, I had to give back to the community.

And so, eight years later, I’m proud to say that I’m helping the new Santa Monica History Museum (www.santamonicahistory.org) open this summer at the Santa Monica Public Library (it’s going to knock your socks off!), just finished my presidency with the Santa Monica Junior Chamber (www.smjaycees.org), and working hard as a member of the great Santa Monica Lions Club (www.santamonicaca.lionwap.org). I know that the more I can help make Santa Monica a better city, the happier I am to live and work here.

To me, Santa Monica has given me the opportunity to not only enjoy the natural beauty it has to offer, but also the opportunity for a country boy like me from North Carolina to make a difference in the community, and that to me is why I LOVE Santa Monica.