Our Team
Sylvie Nguyen | Founder & President
Class of 2026
Moved by a medical volunteer trip to the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 2019, where she helped aid underserved families, junior and second-generation Vietnamese-American Sylvie Nguyen started the Vietnamese Culture Club to proudly share her heritage with the community.
Outside of being the club's website designer, Sylvie is playing beach volleyball, drinking absurd amounts of matcha lattes, and being News Editor and Business Manager for Gunn's newspaper, The Oracle.
Chilton Chau | Vice President
Class of 2026
As a proud Vietnamese-American, junior Chilton Chau is all in to support friends and those in need—collaborating on projects, organizing events, and cheering others on.
Valuing an active lifestyle, you will catch Chilton kickboxing. He is well-versed and involved in Gunn's business areas: Association of Marketing Students (DECA) and Business, Entrepreneurship, and Math (BEAM).
Aman Solanki | Treasurer
Class of 2026
With his Indian heritage, passion for cultural exchange, and knack for finances, junior Aman Solanki ensures the club's initiatives flourish.
He stays hooked on Fantasy Football, earning championships in his dynasty football league. Aman is known for his position next school year as Gunn’s junior class vice president and, notoriously, his attempts at perfecting Vietnamese and Spanish pronunciations.
Ryan Panepucci | Secretary
Class of 2026
Junior Ryan Panepucci is passionate about building community and celebrating cultural traditions. Outside of school, he enjoys training in mixed martial arts and spending time with friends.
His role as a secretary allows him to contribute to meaningful events and create connections within Gunn's diverse community.
Aditya Swaminathan | Social Media Director
Class of 2026
Playing tennis for four years, junior Aditya Swaminathan is currently Gunn's junior varsity tennis captain. When he's not perfecting his backhand, Aditya enjoys trying new restaurants and hanging out with friends.
His love for diverse cuisines led him to discover Vietnamese culture through its food, inspiring Aditya to take on the role of growing the club's online outreach to Gunn's students.
Zach Willis | Social Media Director
Class of 2026
Junior Zach Willis is committed to bettering the club through social media. His own Mexican-American heritage sparked his passion for cultural exchange from a young age.
In his free time, he loves watching movies, playing pickleball, and watching football, as Zach hopes to one day become the general manager of his favorite team: the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Toby Wong | Membership Chair
Class of 2026
Junior Toby Wong enjoys using his networking skills to expand the club's outreach, including finding new members around campus and through social media.
In his free time, you will find Toby practicing violin for Gunn's orchestra and setting for Gunn's junior varsity volleyball team, or even in his garage running Toby Tapers, his haircutting business.
Ella Nguyen | Parliamentarian
Class of 2028
Serving her city as a youth commissioner, freshman Ella Nguyen works hard to help her community thrive. Always on the hunt for fun activities that celebrate her Vietnamese-American heritage, Ella is excited to bring her passion to the club.
She can always be found playing basketball and tennis for Gunn's JV teams. She also enjoys playing with her dog, singing in the school choir, and trying new recipes.
Arden Lee | Philanthropy Chair
Class of 2026
As a mixed race Vietnamese, junior Arden Lee cherishes the culture and community that comes with being a Vietnamese American.
He often says his real home is on the badminton gym, training relentlessly for the next tournament. When he’s not practicing, Arden enjoys playing video games, watching K-dramas, and listening to music; his favorite song right now being, slow dive by Wave to Earth.
Selected Superlatives
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First Club Promotion Day
Dec. 2024
For the first Guest Speaker Coffee Talk cross-collaboration, VCC and Gunn's Varsity Dance Team, the Titanettes, teamed up to host Vietnamese-American, 2024 Olympic silver medalist, Bay Area student, and Stanford alum Jacklyn Luu.
The professional artistic swimmer shared her school journey, her career path, her experience playing at the Paris Olympics, and what it takes to be a student-athlete.
Guest Speaker Coffee Talk with David Louie
Sept. 2024
At the club's school-wide forum, Silicon Valley media legend and ABC7 reporter David Louie inspired the club with a motivational talk — growing up Asian-American, pursuing the journalism career path, and breaking barriers, like becoming KGO-TV's first Asian-American news reporter.
As a guest judge from the 2023-24 Asian American Story Video-Esay Contest, Louie presented 1st place certificates to VCC and its 11 featured members.
Asian American Stories covered VCC's meeting. David Louie posted VCC's meeting on his platform.
Lunar New Year
Jan. 2024
Club officers helped host Gunn’s annual Lunar New Year event, celebrating the Year of the Dragon, presenting cultural posters, and handing out sweet treats—red envelopes (“tết li xi”) of candy and traditional sweet rice.
Nixon Elementary International Night
April. 2024
VCC was invited to perform a cultural dance at Nixon Elementary School‘s annual International Night. The crew, comprised of 6 student volunteers, showcased the Vietnamese pop song, Bo Xì Bo, and the traditional song, Hương Tình Gái Quê. The club performed its dance at Gunn's International Night in May too!
Asian-American Stories Contest Finalist
April. 2024
Out of 72 entries nationwide, VCC's video was selected as ’24 Asian-American Stories Contest First Place Youth Division. The video was composed of 10 voices and pictured over 41 members. Thank you to all the members and those featured in this video! San Jose Mercury News mentioned the club here.
Mitchell Park Library International Night
Nov. 2023
At Mitchell Park's Teen Services International Night, the club ran the Vietnam booth—in which ten members helped host a Lotus flower origami station, cook +20 pandan waffles, and serve five gallons of fruit tea.
First Club Promotion Day
Sept. 2023
VCC set up its booth and posters. 22 students signed up for their membership! The club's president, Sylvie, and vice president, Chilton, were mentioned in The Oracle's article "New cultural clubs highlight student efforts to foster community."
