One Refugee’s American Dream

Saim Yeung is the embodiment of the American dream.

In the early 1970s, Saim Yeung and his family of seven were evacuated from their home in Pakse, Laos during the Vietnam War. After bouncing around various refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines for over a year, Yeung and his family moved to the United States—he was 8 years old.

In 1979, Yeung began his new life in Rockford, Ill. Although he and his family were crammed into a studio apartment, he was determined to get an education. 

As he acclimated to a new culture and new language–his fourth by that time–Yeung recalls going to grade school, wearing his few pieces of clothing and a pair of shoes that eventually grew holes. “I walked about an hour a day just to get to school, but getting an education was more important than my cold feet,” he said. 

Even with all these obstacles, Yeung was determined to one day become a businessman, just like his father. “My dad owned a textile business when we were in Laos. After we had to drop everything to come here, I wanted to continue that interest in business.” 

As a senior in high school, while exploring potential colleges, Yeung lost his father. Through his grief he was more intent than ever to pursue higher ed so he could support his family and eventually have a family of his own. 

“When I was looking at colleges, it was between Bradley and the University of Illinois. I ended up choosing Bradley because it was the first school in the state to have an international business program,” he explained. 

His experience at Bradley was transformational, as he described it, “Bradley helped me become independent.” 

Yeung valued the personalized attention he received at Bradley, which is still true today, 30 years later. “Professors, like Dr. Goodnow, head of the international business program when I was a student, gave me that one-on-one experience.” 

Bradley also helped Yeung step outside of his comfort zone. “In middle school and high school, I was really immersed in the Asian community. Having an American roommate at Bradley, which was predominantly white, really helped me step out and prove myself. If I chose a larger school, there would be less opportunity for me to grow.” 

In 1995, Yeung graduated with a Bachelor of Science in international business and went on to meet his wife, Miriam, an immigrant from Mexico City. They have owned and operated IDA Motion for the past 21 years in Rockford, Ill. Their oldest daughter, Adalia, is following in her father’s footsteps, attending Bradley University, where she currently serves as Student Body President. 

You can see them both in The College Tour, on Amazon Prime and at the link below.

—Adalia Yeung, junior journalism and political science major