In the spring of 2024, Nguyen served as the sociology major marshal, an experience she described as “incredible.” Not only did it highlight her academic achievements, but also reinforced her dedication to her field of study.
“I’m first-gen and I’m the first of my immediate family to graduate, so it was nice to have that extra celebration from my college,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen had several mentors support her while she applied for student marshal, including Associate Professor of Sociology Gary Adler, who wrote a “stunning and thoughtful” recommendation for her.
“There is just so much mentorship and so many people who care about me and my education,” Nguyen said. “I think that the college does a good job at making sure their students are academically supported. It’s just a nice way to recognize the students who are putting in the hard work and really care about what they want to do.”
Nguyen was surprised when she was selected as a student marshal because her focus was geared more towards film than sociology. However, she likes to tell people, “Sociology is in everything I do just because it’s how I view and observe the world.”
Nguyen said if she were to give other Penn State students advice, it would be to try new things, because you never know what opportunities might come out of them.
“See what you like and learn what you love,” she said. “I would’ve never expected to be in a role that’s not filmed-based, and I was unsure about stepping into it. But now I love it and it’s a career that I can pursue long-term.”
Nguyen will begin her next NBCUniversal rotation with Universal Content Productions on Feb. 10 where she will support Beatrice Springborn, president of Universal Content Productions and Universal International Studios.