“America is the land of opportunity. Even if you are nobody, you can make yourself somebody in this land. But you have to work for everything you get.” These are not the words of Horace Greeley, Daniel Webster or the president of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. They were spoken by Hieu Pham, 17-year-old Vietnamese refugee in his valedictory address at the Red Bank High School in Chattanooga, Tenn. Pham, who escaped from his homeland in a fishing boat eight years ago, was named Red Bank valedictorian along with two fellow students who also had straight-A grade averages. He was one of three Viet refugees cited recently by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. in the Congressional Record for having been chosen high school valedictorians. In Madison Park High School at Boston, Hoan Binh La stood proudly in cap and gown as valedictorian of her class. Also a boat refugee, she left Vietnam at age 14 and came to America after a difficult year in a Malaysian refugee camp, eating only coconut and food scraps, and bathing in the ocean. The first of the three refugee valedictorians – Dung Hguyen achieved the honor at Pensacola High School in Florida. She received a phone call of congratu- lation from President Ronald Reagan. Kennedy, in his Senate remarks, said: “These brave refugee valedictorians came to our shores in desperation and in need of assistance, but already are contributing to their communities in their new homeland.” All three are planning professional careers in, medical or technical fields. At a time of negative reports about refugee resettlement, drug abuse and crime, it is heartwarming to note their success stori Q None of the three Vietnamese valedictorians could speak English upon arrival in this country. They lacked the home advantages of most other youngsters. But their performance stands out in contrast to recent criticism of a “rlsing tide of mediocrity” in U. S. public education by a bipartisan federal commission. Valedictorian Pham put his finger on one of the most vital ingredients in the formula for the success of young people when he said: “You have to work for everything you get. It doesn’t just fall from the sky.”