OU AASA Magazine - January 2023 (Volume 5)

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

“New Year’s” often means new beginnings for many people.

The first step, however, is always the hardest. It’s so daunting, having to stray away from “comfortable” and start again from nothing. And the chance of failure? Even scarier.

College is known as this big place of “firsts.” Your first time away from home. Your first party. Your first drink. We’ve made so many fond memories here, and we’ve learned so much from them. But as our time here comes to an end, we’ll have to make those first steps once again into the “real world,” like we did when we left high school to enter college.

For this month’s publication, we wanted to highlight the conclusion of one journey and the beginning of another. As our Fall Graduates prepare to leave college for greater endeavors, we wanted to show each one of their journeys, both as students and as people.

I’m grateful for everybody who helped make this magazine possible, including your support as a reader. Enjoy the rest of your winter break (as well as your New Year’s and Lunar New Year), and good luck with the upcoming semester!

Sincerely,

ANTHONY NGUYEN | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PLEASE CONTACT ME AT OUAASA.GENSEC@GMAIL.COM WITH ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, OR CONCERNS.

ITTEES

AASA EVENTS

THIS SEMESTER

Lunar New Year Live Music Night

OU Asian Royalty Pageant Senior Night

OurFall 2022 Graduates

A S A S I A N A M E R I C A N S , T H E I M P O R T A N C E O F G R A D U A T I N G C O L L E G E A N D W A L K I N G A C R O S S T H E S T A G E M A K E S S U C H A S I G N I F I C A N T D I F F E R E N C E A N D I M P A C T O N O U R F A M I L I E S A N D O U R

O M M U N I T I E S W E H A V E S A C R I F I C E D S O M U C H T O G E T W H E R E W E A R E T O D A Y A N D C E L E B R A T I N G T H E S E M O M E N T S O N L Y S H O W S T H E F U T U R E G E N E R A T I O N A L L O F T H E P O S S I B I L I T I E S T H A T W E C A N A C C O M P L I S H A S A W H O L E .

DODGE FAMILY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES FALL 2022 CONVOCATION

JASON NGUYEN KATHY NGUYEN

GALLOGLY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING FALL 2022 CONVOCATION

ANH HOANG NGUYEN HOANG HENRY NGUYEN LOC VU

GAYLORD COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION FALL 2022 CONVOCATION ANNIE NGUYEN

MICHAEL F PRICE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS FALL 2022 CONVOCATION

CHRISTINE NGUYEN

AnhHoang

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR FRESHMAN SELF?

"Keep a good digital calendar so you don't overbook yourself and burn out with too many events, parties and school."

WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?

"One of my main focuses in school has been on energy, especially sustainable energy. The world's energy needs will only increase and we only have 1 Earth with finite resources. We need to manage it properly to provide and ensure a decent standard of living for as many people as possible."

B.S. IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING MINOR IN GLOBAL ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND RESOURCES

NguyenHoang

What advice would you give your freshman self?

"I would tell my freshman self to focus on classes more while still being able to have fun at times. Balancing the two, I found, was essential to getting through college."

What are you passionate about?

"I am passionate about technology and how much it has advanced us as a whole, which is why I chose electrical engineering."

AnnieNguyen

"I AM PURSUING NURSING, HOPING TO MAKE A CHANGE IN THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY."

What advice would you give your freshman self?

"If I could give advice to my freshman self, I would say 'Do everything and anything while you can. The people, memories, experiences, you will miss it so make sure you don't take anything for granted and like in the moment.'"

What are you passionate about?

"I'm passionate about the Asian community. I was to help create a place where people feel welcome, included and heard."

ChristineNguyen

"FOR MY FUTURE PLANS, I WILL EVENTUALLY MOVE TO CALIFORNIA AND DO A TEMPORARY ROLE IN OREGON BEFORE DECIDING WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO SETTLE I CURRENTLY WORK IN RETAIL CORPORATE AND I CURRENTLY DO TALENT AND BRAND TRAINING. NOT MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SAY THAT THEY LOVE WHAT THEY DO FOR THEIR JOB/CAREER, BUT I DO. SO I WILL CONTINUE TO DO THIS UNTIL I DECIDE TO "RANDOMLY" START MY OWN SMALL BUSINESS AND PUT TO USE MY VISUAL ARTS MINOR THAT I ACQUIRED FROM MY INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAMME

AS FOR MY SCHOLASTIC JOURNEY, I WILL ALSO BE STARTING THE MASTER OF ARTS PROGRAM HERE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA FOR THE SPRING 2023 TERM DURING THIS TIME, I WILL CONTINUE TO TRAVEL WITH MY COMPANY AS WELL AS TAKE PERSONAL TRIPS WITH LOVED ONES TO COMMEMORATE THE REST OF MY TWENTIES."

What pushes you to keep on going?

"I always knew that what others thought about me didn't matter My own worth and how I respected myself was what kept me going Making sure that all of the decisions that I made during my undergraduate years were solely for my own happiness and benefit was something that was important to me and I would always advise others to do the same I realized early on that the more I did and accomplished as a younger age, the more that my older self would be set-up for my future I did work full-time and did full-time hours during my undergraduate years So I always planned accordingly for what I could control and I would make the best out of everything else This was how I continuously pushed myself to keep on going and pursuing my degrees."

What are you passionate about?

"I am most passionate about my career I have been with my company for the past 9 years and I have been able to accomplish and experience so many things My company has given me the opportunity not only to work in many other states, but overseas as well. I am privileged enough to travel and live abroad and it has given me a lot of great memories as well What kept me the most passionate during my last undergraduate year were my Greek littles (Allan, Mary, & Adam) <3"

MINORS IN COMMUNICATIONS AND NON-PROFIT

HenryNguyen "I

What advice would you give your freshman self?

"Take more breaks. Also, take more advantage of the help that you can get from others. Example: utilize professor office hours and TAs, and recognize that they are all towards helping you grow and pass the class."

What are you passionate about?

"I'm passionate about reaching all of the goals that I've set for myself, and showing those who come from a similar background or are going down the same path as me that nothing is unattainable no matter the cirumstances."

JasonNguyen

"I PLAN ON APPLYING TO DENTAL SCHOOL."

What advice would you give to your freshman self?

"Don’t be afraid to put yourself first. College is filled with fun and excitement but will also put you through trials and tribulations. When those hard times hit, take a step back and focus on loving yourself first and reflect. This will teach you grit which helped my mentality flourish exponentially."

What pushes you to keep on going?

"At the end of the day, you’re going to face hardship. You’re going to fail at things you were so confident you’d succeed in but caught you blindsided in the process. My friends and family are the people that keep me going when I face those situations. I know that after everything, they will love and support me at my worst to see me at my best"

IN BIOLOGY

KathyNguyen

"I

What advice would you give to your freshman self?

"You have an abundance of love in your life, don't stick besides people who don't really love you because you think you'll never find love and friendship again, cause you will."

B.A. IN HUMAN RELATIONS

What pushes you to keep on going?

"The main thing that pushes me to keep going is my family and knowing I am making a difference in other people's lives. I will never stop going out of my way to give my love and a helping hand to those who need me."

MINOR IN COMMUNICATIONS

"I PLAN TO WORK IN A COMPANY THAT MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY ... SUCH AS DISNEY"

What advice would you give your freshman self?

"The advice I would definitely give to my freshman self would be to not panic or overworry. When I reflected on the worst outcomes of my academic life, I believed that the unhealthy mentality that I had prior to those experiences is what contributed the most to them happening... followed by even more mental breakdowns and panicking. Not doing so has helped me achieve greater results and confidence for myself."

What pushes you to keep going?

"What pushes me to keep going is the people that I hold closely in my life. Without them, I believe that I would not have been able to achieve what I have achieved and made the horrible environment I was in a lot more bearable. It is their faith in me that strengthened the little faith in myself. Even those from afar, across the ocean, supported me in ways that made me push forward and to overcome the barriers that has challenged me."

MEET THE MAGA

Anthony Nguyen Caitlin Le

Christine Nguyen Emma Nguyen

AZINE TEAM

Ivan Ma

Nate Reese

Kelvin Yang Amy Nguyen

AASAADVISOR

Seth Phung

TALCCHAIR

Brandon Kieu

Lana Nguyen

GRAPHICDESIGNER

Amelia Torrevillas-Brown

HISTORIAN

Bella Pham

OUROYALTY

Lina Thai

FRESHMANREP

Paul Nguyen

FRESHMANREP

Maria de Asis

LIVEMUSICNIGHTCHAIR

Dim Zuun

FRESHMANREP

Annie Nguyen VPEXTERNAL

Sydney Wong

VPINTERNAL

Oliver Wu

PRESIDENT

Margaret Le DIRECTOROFPHILANTHROPY

Brittney Luong

LUNARNEARYEARCHAIR

Syeda Sayera

ASIANFOODFAIRCHAIR

Sana Arshad

FRESHMANREP

Ryna Zubair

OUROYALTY

MONDAY

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SYEDA

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ANNIE

OLIVER ARIANA

BRITTNEY

MARGARET

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SETH

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JOIN AASA

The Asian American Student Association of the University of Oklahoma provides a great opportunity to get involved with the campus community. Our purpose is to promote the cultural diversity of OU through activities that educate and celebrate the rich heritage and traditions of Asian Americans. In addition, the cultural heritage, language, and tradition of Asian Americans are emphasized.

We offer numerous achievements and support services in academics, mentoring, and leadership, as well as programs in cultural and social events to promote and celebrate cultural diversity. Ultimately, we aim to create a "home away from home" or a "second family" for all members.