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 Van, a Lincoln, Illinois native and graduate of
Lincoln Community High School, is majoring in business
administration at UIS with a concentration in marketing and minoring
in management. She plans to graduate from UIS in December.
She is a first-generation Vietnamese-American student whose parents
immigrated to the United States seeking freedom. Growing up, she
learned a lot about the customs and cultures of Vietnam, while
learning to speak two different languages.
“I believe those experiences in my early years and throughout my
young adulthood have helped me become more open-minded to everything
and everyone around me,” she said. “My parents work hard to support
my two sisters and me. When I can, I try to reduce the stress my
parents may feel by working hard to achieve my potential.”
Van says her primary goal has always been to earn a college degree,
something her parents weren’t able to do, and further her education.
“Even as a small child, I would finish all of my homework correctly
so my parents would not have to help me after a long day at work,”
she said. “I had to become independent at a very young age.”
In high school, Van worked in a field tending to blueberries the
summer, worked as an assistant nail technician at her family’s
business and worked at several restaurants in order to support her
goal of obtaining a college degree.
“My jobs allowed me to experience first-hand the challenges that
come with communicating with customers, whether face-to-face or
through a fast food speaker,” she said.
At UIS, Van has worked as an orientation leader, served as a peer
mentor for the Capital Scholars Honors Program and treasurer for the
Legacy Dance team. She has also worked as a Research Student
Interviewer for the UIS Survey Research Office collecting social
science data.
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“During my time at UIS, I have joined many groups and clubs to
find out what all I enjoy,” she said.
Van has also served as the marketing coordinator for the Student
Activities Committee and the Asian Student Organization and the vice president
of the Community Garden Club. She has also been a member of the Vietnamese
Student Association, Students Allied for a Greener Earth, the Social Media
Advisory Committee, Sigma Alpha Phi (the National Society of Leadership and
Success), Beta Gamma Sigma (The International Business Honor Society) and the
Student Organization Funding Association.
She recently completed an internship with Aflac and had her artwork published in
Dave Kinzer’s book “The 60s Music Compendium.”
“UIS offers a comfortable environment where I can focus on my studies,” she
said. “The campus is large enough to meet new people every day, but not so small
that I would know everyone.”
Following graduation from UIS, she plans move to Arizona and further her
education while applying for jobs.
Each year an outstanding senior from each of the four-year degree-granting
institutions of higher learning in Illinois is awarded the Student Lincoln
Academy Medallion and thereby becomes a Student Laureate of the Lincoln Academy
of Illinois. Student Laureates are honored for their overall excellence in
curricular and extracurricular activities.
For more information, contact Blake Wood, UIS assistant director of public
relations, at 217-206-6716 or bwood8@uis.edu.
[Blake Wood
Assistant Director of Public Relations
Office of Campus Relations
University of Illinois Springfield] |
