Name: Trang Nguyen, Class of 2021
Hometown: Hanoi, Vietnam
Majors: News and Media Studies; Studio Art 

Why did you choose Texas Christian University?
I wanted to study abroad, and when researching schools, I only looked at warm climate locations because I can’t stand the cold. That led me to TCU. Their scholarships and high ranking also attracted me. 

Why news and media studies?
I knew I wanted to study some type of communication. News and media studies is a little bit of everything and also allows me to study another program at TCU. I am always busy because of my double major and they take up my time equally. 

What has been your favorite class in news and media studies?
My favorite class was Media Literacy with professor Jaime Loke. And my favorite project was interviewing elders to get an understanding of how their lives have changed with technology. 

How did you become passionate about the arts?
From a young age, it was a way for me to express myself. I never got to study it until college and now I really enjoy taking pictures on my film camera.   

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a scientist. Both my parents are doctors so they encouraged me to specialize in chemistry and math in high school.  

What advice would you give to a first–year student?
Get yourself out there and explore many different things on campus because you might not have a second chance after college.  

If you could do TCU all over again, what would you do differently?
I would take a lot of different core curriculum classes to explore more topics in which I was interested. 

What is something about yourself that you consider unique?
I can speak three languages: Spanish, English and Vietnamese, which is my first language. 

What else are you involved in at TCU? 
I am a student ambassador for TCU Admissions. My favorite part is sharing my experiences with prospective students and parents. Since I’m not from here, I wouldn’t normally get the chance to talk to people from all over the U.S. and I love seeing how different everyone is.  

What do you plan to do after graduation?
I plan to stay in the United States and gain experience in an advertising agency for a few years, and then either apply for graduate school or go back to my country. 

What’s the first thing you do when you go home?
I eat a lot of food! I miss the food there, especially the noodles. I also like to hang out in the coffee shops there. 

What does your ideal day look like?
I would either travel somewhere or sit in a coffee shop and read my book. I’ve recently been reading Steal Like an Artist for my Design and Color class.  

What is something that you are proud of?
Being true to myself throughout my life. It’s been a very long journey for me and I am very proud of the person I am today.  

Click here for more information on the news and media studies major.