Do You Know Who You Are?
By Ha Nguyen, Development and Communications Associate
Photos Courtesy of AALEAD staff
As 2017 starts to wrap up and give way to 2018, we begin to reflect back on how our life has progressed throughout the year. It is essential to not just dwell on mistakes that you have made along the way. It is also about rejoicing for what you have accomplished and drawing lessons on what disappointed you. 2017 has been a roller coaster for me, but I would not take it any other way. Hello everyone, my name is Ha Nguyen, and you might remember me from the summer intern assisting Virginia staff with the inaugural summer program in 2016. Today, I want to tell you the story of how I get to where I am today as AALEAD’s Development and Communications Associate.
After my internship with AALEAD, I returned to my senior year at GMU to continue pursuing my degree in Global Affairs and International Relations. The nature of my study geared me towards participating in a lot of scholarly work and political advocacy. I had the opportunity to dive further into the academic sector through the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) and was able to conduct my original research on governmental policy affecting private tutoring activities in Vietnam. You can check out my OSCAR blog post where I talked more about what I learned from being “a scholar” as a student.
Another experience that truly shaped me into who I am today was my internship with Senator Mark Warner of Virginia at his Vienna state office. I was able to refine my tact, attention to details, and professionalism substantially under the steady leadership of the staffs working there and also through constant interaction with Virginia constituents. Additionally, thanks to the Northern Virginia Educating Youth through Employment (EYE) program, I also spent my 2017 summer doing political advocacy with labor unions and canvassing with grassroots campaigns. It was not an easy task, but I was able to learn firsthand about the significant importance of story-telling in ensuring that your representatives are listening to your voices.
SEIU Virginia 512 & 2017 Summer Interns met up with Congressman Connolly (D-VA 11th District) on Capitol Hill
Attending Aspire To LEAD – AALEAD Annual Fundraiser event in Spring 2017 on behalf of Sen.Warner (what a small world!)
In the movie blockbuster “Moana,” there was this moment when the titular character tearfully begged the ocean that it was a mistake to choose her to embark on this adventure. Her confidence was at rock bottom, and she ceded defeat. But remember, when you ever find yourself hitting rock bottom, the only way to go is up! So prompted by the spirit of her grandmother’s question – “Do you know who you are?”, Moana reflected on who she was – “I am everything I’ve learned and more […], and the call isn’t out there at all, it’s inside me!” She then went on to become the heroine of her movie, finish her journey and save the world!
The AALEAD Virginia Summer 2016 Program
I cannot deny my sheer excitement upon receiving that email in my inbox announcing that I will be rejoining the AALEAD family in a full-time role this time. It was a slow-mo reenactment of that moment when Moana belted out “I am Moana!” in the song, but in this case, it is more of “I am an AALEADer (again)!” And even though I understand that the responsibilities I will be holding are not effortless to fulfill, that there is a lot of knowledge I need to acquire, at least I do know that I will be able to find the help I need to finish them strong
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Thank you for listening to my story, and onwards to 2018 we go!