South Dade High grad is off to the Big Apple, if coronavirus gets out of the way

Chau Van gives herself two years to land on a Netflix show.

The 17-year-old wants to move to New York City in the fall. She wants to stroll into the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan and launch her career with the accolades she received at South Dade Senior High for her breakthrough role playing a Vietnamese immigrant who only spoke her native tongue.

Chau won best leading dramatic actress in the district competition. Her troupe won the rare honor of critic’s choice for the first time in eight years. She was ready to compete at states, staying after school until 7 p.m. to rehearse. Her showbiz career was right there in front of her.

Then the coronavirus canceled the last competition of her high school career.

“It hurt more than my first heartbreak,” Chau said. “It’s something that struck to the core. I don’t think anything could ever hurt me as much as that.”

The role was especially personal to Chau. She is a Vietnamese immigrant, arriving in Alabama at the age of 6, speaking only Vietnamese. She stood out and was ostracized. “Hannah Montana” — the hit TV show starring Miley Cyrus — taught her English and inspired her to become a performer.

Chau arrived in Miami in the middle of sixth grade and became a citizen. South Florida’s diversity boosted her self-esteem. Then in her freshman year, theater teacher Juan Espinosa encouraged her to join the theater magnet.

Her passion for acting was ignited.

She competed locally, statewide and at national competitions. She took workshops led by professionals from Broadway and met many kids just like her. “I saw a lot more Asians than I thought,” she said.

This year’s statewide competition was her last chance before she planned to move to New York City to major in acting for TV and film.

“I did not care as much about prom, grad bash,” she said. “I’d rather have those two major events in my life canceled than not being able to go to states. And now that I don’t get to go to states, it just, it really sucks.”

In Vietnam, Chau’s mother dropped out of school after fourth grade. Her much older father from whom she is estranged never finished school because he fought in the Vietnam War. The pressure was on for her to do better.

“When my parents first moved to America from Vietnam, it was different, just like other immigrant families,” she said. “It was hard, and I know at the end of the day my parents want what’s best for me. They want me to be able to achieve things that they weren’t able to ever achieve throughout their life when they were younger.”

Her parents worried about her career choice. After encouragement from family friends, her mother finally came around with her blessing.

“I want to make them proud of me. I want them to feel like you know what, I did this for you,” Chau said. “And I worked hard. And I hope to become successful someday to have the money to support my mom — a single mother.”

It’s a big step for Chau. The closest she’s ever been to the Big Apple was a layover at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

She wants to apartment hunt in person and take it all in. She wants to be in the middle of the action, in the fashion capital of the world. She wants to see a show on Broadway, long overdue for a theater kid. The pandemic has hit New York City hardest, but that hasn’t deterred her.

“I swear, I’m speaking it out into existence, I’m going to be on a Netflix series in two years,” she vows. “It’s always good to have hope, and that’s really all I have right now.”

This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 6:00 AM.