Featured Alumnus: “Peter” Phuoc Hong Huynh ’86

For many of our alumni, their time at Avon served as the beginning of their career, the foundation that their professional and social lives could be developed upon. For “Peter” P. Hong Huynh ’86, his life’s story had already undergone several incredible chapters before he first arrived on Avon’s campus.

Peter’s life began in the shadow of conflict—born in Vietnam, he spent his early childhood in the heart of a warzone. After the fall of Saigon, his family began looking for a way out of the country. Along with his parents, an aunt, and his six siblings, Peter joined the thousands of other “Vietnamese boat people” attempting to escape by boat. Many families were separated in the chaos, while many others did not survive the journey. Luckily, this wasn’t the case for Peter. On his family’s third attempt to escape, they managed to navigate the ocean waters and made it to Hong Kong.

Once in Hong Kong, Peter and his family were picked up by the British Hong Kong Marine Police and brought to a staging building where they lived in cramped conditions. “We managed to survive for a month before they sent us to a prison,” Peter shares. After three months in the prison, the Huynh family were relocated to a refugee camp in Hong Kong after passing a screening test. In 1980, the family was relocated for a final time, this time to Hartford, Connecticut.

While the family finally had a safe and stable place to stay, it was not the end of their challenges. “At that point I was 10 years old, living in a new adopted country where we didn't speak the language. It was really rough.” In fact, his parents considered relocating again. “It was tough for our parents because they came from being business owners and landlords to starting all over again after leaving everything behind, but my siblings and I were excited because we finally started a formal education after so many years of turmoil. Over time, we got to know New England more, and I enjoyed it.”

For Peter, the prospect of an education was prominent in his mind. After all, it was something he had never experienced before. “Up until that point, I had no formal education other than some tutoring.” He enrolled in Hartford Public Schools and continued up until high school. His ninth grade year, however, he realized he needed more. “The instruction at my school wasn’t bad, but the environment wasn’t the best,” he explains.​

Luckily for Peter, one of his early mentors, Mr. Reed, who volunteered to teach English to the Vietnamese refugees based in Hartford, had a wife who worked as a switchboard operator at Avon Old Farms School. Peter begged Mr. Reed to see if his wife could get him in the door. This eventually resulted in an interview with Frank Leavitt ’52. Leavitt originally told Peter to continue to improve his English and try again in a year, but Peter was persistent. “I wanted to attend Avon. I needed to. I told Mr. Leavitt that attending Avon was my best chance to not only improve my English but to have a proper education.”

Ultimately, Peter was admitted, and he began his Avon career as a sophomore in the fall of 1983. Like most students, Peter struggled a bit in his first few months. It was a totally new environment for someone who had only ever lived in a city setting, and he was still perfecting his English. “Eventually, I pulled myself out of it. I studied my butt off. The faculty were all very helpful. I asked a lot of questions, and they always took the time to answer. Also, in interactions with other students I found them to be extremely helpful and team-oriented.”

Peter was primarily focused on his academics, earning Dean’s List honors all three years, but he also got involved in as many extracurriculars as he could. He tried his hand at soccer and swimming, and was a member of the varsity riflery and tennis teams. He also participated in computer club, art club, and Red Cross volunteer opportunities. Two of Peter’s younger siblings, Loc ’88 and Tho ’89 would go on to attend Avon as well. 

After Avon, he matriculated to Wesleyan University on a pre-med track but ultimately majored in economics. This helped him narrow down what he wanted as a career. “I discovered that medicine might not be a good fit for me.” Instead, Peter joined Arthur Andersen LLP as a consultant before moving to a mergers and acquisitions role with First Boston. He then joined Morgan Stanley before leaving alongside his boss to start a venture capital and private equity house. “We managed to raise a sizeable fund, but we were too early. So, we decided to sell our firm,” Peter explained. 

Peter then returned to school, receiving his MBA from Case Western Reserve, and then completed further study at Thunderbird School of Global Management on a partial scholarship where he learned the impact cultural factors can have in his industry and beyond. Through this education and his early work experiences, Peter formed his philosophy as a banker and investor. “To me, I think the commercialization of new technologies is just as important as inventing it.”

After a year working for JP Morgan, Peter returned to Hong Kong. This time, it wasn’t for a job or to revisit landmarks from his childhood, it was for a girl—his future wife, Tang Shuet Ting. He soon joined Deutsche Bank to lead their Asia office.

In 2010, Peter left this job to take a break from working. Over the course of the next six years, he spent lengths of time in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Mongolia learning different forms of martial arts, fulfilling a plan he had made as a child. “After fleeing the war, we were poor and opportunities were limited. It was hard to imagine what my future might look like. I would sit and read about Captain America, Batman, and martial arts comics. Their philosophy and strategy influenced me, and inspired an interest in martial arts. I also knew I wanted to be good at something other than my profession.” He studied eight different types of full-contact martial arts, and became proficient in Mongolian Wrestling, Kyokushin Karate, and a traditional form of Muay Thai known as Muay Boran. Throughout his training, he competed in 98 fights.

Following this sabbatical, Peter started FulcrumBridge International, his own company focused on strategy consulting, cross-border M&A/deal advisory, business succession and wealth preservation, and investment. The 2019 protests in Hong Kong and the COVID-19 pandemic made for a bit of a volatile start, but now FulcrumBridge is thriving, and Peter credits Avon for playing a role in his success. “Avon definitely gave me more than just a high school diploma. I learned how to advocate for myself and how to carry myself with a quiet confidence. Avon does a good job in training you to be a leader while also being true to yourself. When I successfully finish building FulcrumBridge International, I hope to serve for U.S. government as a facilitator.”

What stands out even more to Peter from his time at Avon are the people who helped him along the way. "I am eternally grateful to our Avon Old Farms School Community, Faculty members, administrative staff, and friends and classmates—especially Mr. Kenneth LaRocque, and Mrs. Marie Delnicki and Family. There are others as well. During my early days as a day student, the parents of Joseph Cromwell '87 and Mark Ulrich '86, friends Mark May '86 and Scott Joyce '86 facilitated rides to school when I did not have a car. Some of these friendships have blossomed and continue to today."

So, when Peter and his wife welcomed their son, Wesley, into the world, there was no question as to what high school he would attend. “When Wesley was born, I told him right away he was going to Avon,” Peter shares, adding that his son has thoroughly enjoyed his time at Avon. “He likes it maybe too much. Sometimes he is having too much fun to answer my texts.”

This Spring, Peter will return to campus for Wesley’s graduation. The school’s 91st Commencement Ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 25, beginning at 10 a.m.

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