Lily Nguyen
Fourth-year student Lily Nguyen is a double major in graphic design and strategic communications whose parents emigrated from Vietnam and inspired her to be hard-working. She said going into an artistic field made her feel like she needed a head start in her career, so in high school she did advertising and marketing internships and continued finding those opportunities throughout college, including the Most Promising Multicultural Student program in New York.
“My professor last year recommended that I apply for this program called the Most Promising Multicultural Student program. It’s basically this pretty prestigious award you can get if you are a BIPOC student pursuing a career in advertising, media or a creative career in general.
It was a really rewarding experience, but I think what that meant to me was seeing how, especially in the field that I’m going to, representation in media is so important. Growing up and seeing people that look a lot like you in advertising or in the movies that you see and in the books that you read is so important to your formative ages, because growing up when you feel like the odd one out in the room doesn’t make you feel comfortable in a workspace or in any space in general and it’s so hard to find people to relate to in that sense. I think being in a space with BIPOC folks, people that grew up with similar backgrounds as me, being in New York, it just felt really comforting.
The mindset that was instilled into me coming into college is like, ‘College is bringing you opportunities and having a degree brings you opportunities.’ Initially, I think going into college being first gen meant picking up where my parents left off. They came over here in the ‘90s and they had a dream and they came with the rest of their family and they landed tailoring jobs. Over time, I guess I started to form my own interests and for me, being first gen is now more about embracing my heritage and where I came from rather than working towards someone else’s goal in a way.
Seeing them, as I was growing up, work tirelessly into the late nights, about midnight or one in the morning, in the basement tailoring and sewing clothes and things — that hard work, or that kind of work ethic, I feel like I’ve picked up overtime and I can see that being reflected in my own work.
For anyone reading this, definitely try your hardest to surround yourself with people that come from different backgrounds as you. Don’t sleep on finding your community and going into spaces that you feel like home in. Be intentional with the connections that you make and don’t be afraid to go back to your roots if you need to, because it is the most comforting feeling.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview by Natasha Delion.