What started out as a “trial semester to come back to school” has proved to be an educational and professional journey at PVCC for Dzung Nguyen and her family.
“Thanks to Dr. Huu Hoang’s help completing the admissions and financial aid applications,” Dzung’s family of four was admitted to PVCC in the Fall of 2015, and “the back-to-school journey started for my whole family.,” Dzung said. They secured positions as student workers on campus and PVCC became their second home.
As an ESL student, Dzung found communication courses like COM 100, CRE 101, SOC 101, and Storytelling greatly improved her public speaking skills. Critical thinking was a new concept for her. One of the requirements in the CRE 101 course is building the skill to understand the meanings ‘between the lines.’ “I was so confused and struggled a lot at the beginning of the class,” Dzung said. “I wanted to drop it.” Thanks to the support and encouragement she received from Alison Livingston at the Learning Success Center (LSC) and the Reading tutor, Judy Valko, Dzung was able to “pass the class with flying colors.”
Dzung is grateful for the support she received from Dr. Hoang, Dr. Mary Early, Alison Livingston, and the tutors at the (LSC). They were her mentors, coaches, and tutors and helped her successfully complete the first semester with straight A’s. Dzung shared, “For a student who ‘skipped schooling’ for 31 years and studied with English as the second language, the result of the first semester was a triumph that encouraged me to set the target of completing the Associate degree.” In May 2018, Dzung and her two children walked across the stage together at the graduation ceremony.
During her second year at PVCC, Dr. Hoang, Dr. Early, and Dr. Norma Chandler, encouraged Dzung to transfer to a university to complete her undergraduate degree. Following their advice, she transferred to Grand Canyon University where she completed her bachelor's degree the summer of 2020. Three weeks later, Dzung embarked on a master's program at ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Dzung received several scholarships while studying at PVCC. She said, “As new immigrants and work-study students, the scholarships were the primary financial support that enabled me and my family to complete our educational goals.”
The most memorable aspect of Dzung’s student experience at PVCC is the care for students conveyed from the top leaders to the lower-level employees. Dzung shares, “I have seen many cases of PVCC staff helping students and visitors beyond their scope of duties.”
Dzung is deeply appreciative of the student ambassadors, Welcome Center front-line staff, Library, Computer Commons, and the LSC staff. She shared, “I acquired social and academic knowledge during my time as a student at PVCC. It is my obligation to maintain the same or even better service mindset to students in my role as an employee as a payback to the precious support I received.” Dzung is currently sharing her talents in the Fiscal management area at PVCC.