Rutgers chemical and biochemical engineering major who learned English at 18 aims high

HoaiThu Nguyen
HoaiThu Nguyen discovered several career opportunities in chemical engineering, including her interest in energy for industrial processes.
Photo: Carl Blesch

‘Don’t give up. Life is not perfect. And don’t ever let people tell you what you cannot do.’
 
- HoaiThu Nguyen
 

When HoaiThu Nguyen arrived in the United States six years ago, she knew no English and faced bullying in her new high school. Family members questioned whether her desire to pursue an engineering career was the right choice for a young woman. And the cost of college seemed financially out of reach.

This month, she will graduate with a degree in chemical and biochemical engineering and a goal of becoming a CEO. In the fall, she will begin the job of her dreams – a series of rotational assignments at DuPont, one of the world’s leading chemical companies, in its manufacturing locations nationwide.

But first, she will spend the summer traveling to her home country of Vietnam. She plans to visit family members left behind when she, her parents and five of her seven siblings came to the United States in 2009. Then she will volunteer at an orphanage – a way to “pay forward” the support she received in this country when life seemed bleakest.

Nguyen (pronounced “win” in English) grew up in a coffee farming family in Vietnam with her parents, two brothers and five sisters. She remembers it as a poor but peaceful life. Her parents were devoted to their children, but they fundamentally disagreed on how to raise girls in a society bound by traditional roles.

“In Vietnam, the boy has everything, the girl has nothing,” Nguyen said. “My dad didn’t want us to go to school, but my mom wanted us to be independent.” She began school as a young child, but financial difficulties when she turned 15 almost put an end to her education.

When her parents decided one of their children would have to leave school, Nguyen desperately did not want to be the one since she had been doing well.

“I loved school. School was my happiness,” she said. So Nguyen took a job outside the home to fund the rest of her high school education.

Meanwhile, an aunt who had immigrated to the United States suggested that her parents do the same to give their girls a better chance to achieve independence. When the family arrived in 2009, Nguyen was two months shy of her 18th birthday.

Her timing was good.  Even though she completed high school in Vietnam, she needed to learn English but had no money for private classes. Since she was still under 18, she was eligible to enroll in public high school. She became a junior at Morris Hills High School in her new hometown, Rockaway.

“Those two years were very tough,” she said. “Everyone else had their own group of people since freshman year.  I got bullied really badly in my chemistry class. One of the guys told me I should go work at a nail salon, because ‘that’s where your people belong.’ ”

Nguyen managed to successfully complete her SAT exams a year later and got offers of admission to Rutgers and several other four-year colleges. She chose Rutgers because it offered the most financial aid and a comprehensive engineering program.

Once again, however, the family’s traditional values loomed as a roadblock.

“When I told my parents I wanted to become an engineer, they told me I’m not smart enough,” she said. The reality was that families don’t want their girls to be too well educated, “because when you’re too educated, you can’t have a husband, because guys will be intimidated by you.”

HoaiThu Nguyen
Grounded in traditional roles, HoaiThu Nguyen's family questioned whether engineering was the right choice for a young woman. But they yielded to her strong will and demonstrated skills in math and chemistry.
Photo: Carl Blesch

Her response was simple and straightforward. “I’m good at math. I’m good at chemistry. I can’t pursue a major that doesn’t make me happy.”

Resigned to their daughter’s strong will, her parents told her to go ahead but said they could not financially support her. A scholarship from her high school along with Rutgers financial aid and a 12-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week summer job waitressing at a Vietnamese restaurant got her started. But when her parents lost their jobs as dishwashers at that same restaurant, she had to contribute funds to keep the family from being evicted from its apartment. She didn’t know if she could return to Rutgers the next year.

“But things worked out. I got a scholarship from the Rutgers School of Engineering, which was one of the best things ever to happen to me,” she said. That covered her until the middle of her third year, when she landed an internship with DuPont. Co-op assignments with Infineum, a joint venture between ExxonMobil and Shell, and L’Oreal supported her this year.

Nguyen’s choice of majors took root in seventh grade, when her teacher saw her enjoying chemistry experiments. He told her if she was good at something, she should go for it and not let others tell her she’s not good enough.

“I’m a curious kid,” she said. “I think that’s why my parents named me HoaiThu (pronounced ‘why too’). Because I asked ‘why’ so much – why this, why that?” Even so, like many people of Asian descent who live and work in western societies, she has adopted a western first name – Tracey.

She is especially curious about energy. “I love burning stuff!” she joked, before getting reflective. “Safety is a big thing for me. I think that’s a big thing for companies – you want to operate not only making money but also safely.”

Her longer-term plans include pursuing an MBA degree followed by management and executive positions. “I really, really, really, really want to become a CEO,” she said.

But before her summer trip back to Vietnam, her fall job at DuPont, and that coveted seat in the corner office, she looks forward to commencement with her parents in the audience.

“They have become very supportive of me now, and I value their opinion,” Nguyen said. Everyone’s shared years of hardship and work led to success and mutual respect for each other.

Her advice for those who face similar obstacles?

“Don’t give up. Life is not perfect. And don’t ever let people tell you what you cannot do.“

Click here to read about other outstanding members of the Class of 2015


Media inquiries: Carl Blesch, 848-932-0550 (office), 908-875-4137 (cell), cblesch@ucm.rutgers.edu