Today we feature Tammy Nguyen, a junior in Rowan University’s College of Education. Tammy, of Camden County, NJ, majors in Leadership and Social Innovation and is also pursuing a Certificate of Undergraduate Study (CUGS) in Access, Success, & Equity for Educational Innovation.
Please share an “aha!” moment you’ve had within your major that made you feel passionate about your intended field.
I changed my major in the summer to Leadership and Social Innovation because I wanted to make a difference outside of the classroom. And I felt like being a teacher, I was constricted in teaching the materials that the school wanted me to teach, and I couldn’t really change what I wanted, unless I was on a bigger platform like school administration. I’m into advocating to help allocate resources to where they need to go. I think that’s important. So I think I’ll be better in that area also.
Are you seeking any internships, in what area?
I am seeking internships for my senior year, I’m hoping to get something with school.
What has been the most helpful aspect of your Rowan University education to help to prepare you for your career?
Communicating with my advisors and asking questions to see what the next steps are.
What do you hope to pursue after graduation?
After graduation, I hope to be a school administrator. I hope to be a part of the Board of Education somehow, some way, to help update school curriculum, talk about resources, talk about anything that’s unjustified. Just help out teachers if they need to get resources, because that’s important. And maybe hosting some fun workshops about leadership, because that’s important. And maybe I would like to work in nonprofit organizations, too.
Describe for us an on-campus experience (academic or non-academic) in which you felt that your future goals are supported.
I’ve been a part of the Early Childhood Education Club. I’ve been really busy this semester so I haven’t been going to a lot of meetings, but I’ve been doing it since my freshman year, I believe. It’s been fun. I enjoy it. I like going there. I like meeting new girls. It’s a really big group of us. And we talk about a bunch of things like the PRAXIS and just leadership resources. We do fun activities with kids also because there’s a daycare at James, we do stuff with them. It’s like a fun time and we get to know each other really well in that club.
I was also in Rowan VSA, Vietnamese Student Association, for my freshman [and] sophomore year. I’m no longer doing it. But the past two years, it has been great. I’ve learned a lot about myself, I learned about a lot of people that share the same culture as me and the same language as me. And it really was an experience that I will never forget.
And this past fall, I did fall recruitment for Theta Phi Alpha. It was a really fun time. I love volunteering with them and helping them with their mission and philanthropies and I enjoy being in this organization.
Another club I’m in is Tennis. I have played tennis [since] my freshman year. It’s really fun, keeps me active. I played tennis throughout high school, so I wanted to continue it at college. It has been a fun time. I love it. It gets me active, meet new people. Gets my competitive gears going and like I said, keeps me physically active.
Lastly, why did you choose Rowan?
I chose Rowan because it was a good college for education majors. Because Rowan was built for teachers.
Like what you see?