Oscar Winner Ke Huy Quan

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Burst

A scene from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Ke Huy Quan’s birthplace.

Rebekah Marsh '24

Ke Huy Quan won the award for Best Supporting Actor for the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once at the 2023 Oscars. Quan did his regular thank yous and shouted-out his mother who was watching him on the TV. His speech was not just to thank everyone for supporting him, it was emotional, genuine, and brought both the audience and himself to tears. He told the audience at the end of his speech, “Dreams are something you have to believe in, I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive. Thank you so much for welcoming me back — I love you!”

What we can take from Ke Huy Quan’s speech is to never give up. If you have a dream, go chase it; if you want something, go get it. Do not give up. Remember that even in the toughest of times, even when the world might seem pitted against you, do it anyway. 

Ke Huy Quan led a life that was harder than most. His family fled Vietnam and lived at a refugee camp for a year in 1978. Quan did not act in many things since The Goonies and Indiana Jones in the 1980s. Aside from all the hardship and not acting for years, he accomplished the dream he always had. That Oscar will forever be significant and special to him, and his speech will forever be remembered by all.