By Alex Sheedy, Collegian
While most college students move away from home at 18, not many imagine moving to a different country, leaving all their family and friends, struggling with a foreign language and accepting a prestigious yet rigorous academic scholarship.
Huyen Nguyen (Photo by Darlene Wendels / The Collegian)
Huyen Nguyen, an 18-year-old from Hanoi, Vietnam, enrolled as the third international student in the Smittcamp Family Honors College’s history this fall. So far, she’s finding Fresno State most welcoming.
“What I enjoy the most about the honors college is the sense of family that we have here,” Nguyen said. “All the staff and all my friends are so supportive, and it has helped make my transition from a foreign country to here much smoother.”
Her friends within the Smittcamp community have been a great help to her, especially on her quest to improve her English, her second language.
“I find myself being, not only learning a language, but also immersed in a culture, so I really enjoy that,” Nguyen said.
This is the first time Nguyen has lived away from home. In Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, she left behind her parents, a sister and a brother. She said that it has been hard being away from them.
Unlike Fresno, in Hanoi the streets are not laid out in blocks, are much shorter and much more windy. During the weekends, Nguyen and her family would enjoy the atmosphere of the city, taking walks through its streets.
“All of a sudden, I have to manage everything that has to do with schedules, life, papers,” she said. “I feel like I’m much more independent than I was in high school.”
After high school, Nguyen also had options to attend university in Finland, Korea and Germany. The U.S. became her choice because the university didn’t require her to declare a major right away, giving her the opportunity to discover what she’s passionate about.
“Freedom to pave my path is what drove me mostly to the United States,” Nguyen said. “I guess it’s just the fact the United States is so vibrant, and there is always so many motivations and changes and opportunities that await. I think that’s what draws me the most to the United States.”
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