“What’s next?”
A proverbial question.
For all F-1 student visa holders, the beginning of college initiates an awareness of some form of algorithm. Subconsciously or consciously, we quantify our academics, internships, jobs, relationships, and interests with the horizon line ahead. This is the horizon of deciding whether your future is here in the US or elsewhere. As a journey, the intention is for it all to “add up” in the end. So when the question is asked, one can say: “Well, what’s next for me is _____.”
Someone who found her answer to the question is Trang Nguyen. She has recently received a job offer at NERA Economic Consulting at San Francisco. A dear friend of mine, Trang has peppered my college journey with a varied range of thought-provoking discussions. And in spite of my inability to comprehend abstract math or economic models, I would say that Trang, a Mathematics and Economics major, is a “drive” inspiration in my college journey. Naturally, her early job offer didn’t come as a surprise. Trang’s college path has involved a strong awareness of interest, experience, and future aspiration. At Clark, she has worked as a Mathematics Teaching Assistant, and a financial analyst for the Community Thrift Store and the Local Root. She received the Barth Internship Award for the Harvard Kennedy School-Fulbright Economics Teaching Program in her home country, Vietnam. She is co-Founder and co-President of Love of Knowledge Vietnam, a social media channel incorporating animated videos and comics to “explain complicated things very simply.” Look it up! Also, she has a bronze medal in Judo and dances for Variant Dance Troupe. If you know her, this probably still isn’t all of it.
So in congratulating Trang, I decided to interview her for her insight.
Why did you decide to study undergrad in USA?
As an Economics nerd in high school, I thought it would be useful to study economics at a place where my high school teachers often quoted “the financial crisis 2008.” A trivial reason is that all my cousins have been studying in many parts of the world but the USA, so I wanted to be the first child in the family to do that.
Why did you choose your majors (Mathematics and Economics)?
Economics was a no brainer and Mathematics was a mix of peer pressure and professors’ encouragement. I was also drawn to Geography because of the department’s strength of faculty and opportunities and interesting courses. Then, in my sophomore year, I changed my focus from interesting classes to technical classes which taught me transferrable skills, like Python, GIS, Stata. But I’m very content with my choice because it allows me to do what I love and people value it.
Do you have any advice in navigating the college experience, academically and professionally?
Talk to your professors. Talk to people at the LEEP Center. Tell them about your plans and ambitions. It takes a little bit of practice to send that introduction email and schedule an appointment, but I just LOVE it when I develop better relationship with professors. The more they know you, the more they know the right resources to help you succeed. For a Type A person like myself, conversations with them made me realize that I can always work at one thing at a time and everything will be alright.
I know you have been involved in several projects, any significant ones?
The biggest project I did this year was to rebrand a YouTube channel I had co-founded as a sophomore into a social discovery platform called LOK (Love of Knowledge). A lot of people joined the project and we have expanded from 10,000 to 30,000 Facebook followers in the span of 5 months! My to-do-list for this project is to secure more sponsorships and partnerships for this project by the time I graduate. And have more talented and hilarious people on the team. Please check it out at www.lok.vn!
This summer I was in the Bay Area working at Intellectual Property litigation. I got the chance to experience the hipster life in the West Coast, and visit some of the hottest tech companies.
I learned a lot from my sophomore year Barth internship in public policy for the Harvard Kennedy School Vietnam Program. I informed myself on the public and the private sectors of Vietnam, connected and met so many inspiring people, and made friends for life.
Congratulations on the job offer at NERA Economic Consulting! Was there a process?
Yes it was indeed a process! I decided at the beginning of my junior year that I wanted a career in economic consulting and NERA was my first choice. I interned with them this summer and they gave me a full-time offer 3 weeks following the internship. Any advice? What did you get from the process?
I would say good preparation + persistence + networking + luck were the ingredients for me to land my 1st choice internship. Strangely, the process has helped me improve my singing and ukulele skills as I indulged in both when I needed a break.
Do you think being an international student affected your employment?
Tell me about it. In economic terms, being an international student immediately puts a barrier to entry. My tips: search for companies that are willing to sponsor internationals, and move on quickly. At the end of the day, I think the more important thing is to do meaningful job that you love, and not entirely about where you work. The USA is not a one-size-fits-all.
How do you feel now that you have gained a job?
I’m pretty relaxed. I need to be more serious with the rest of the academic year, but I want to shift my priority from my own achievements to helping other friends to get internships and full-time jobs. If you need my help, hit me up!
Trang Nguyen, '17
