Month: June 2020

Son Vu is a WORLD Alumni having graduated from Stetson University class of 2020 with a double major in Professional Sales and Marketing and a minor in Psychology. Since that time, Son has been working as a Centurion Sales Delegate for Stetson University Business School while on OPT.

Coming to Stetson from Vietnam for new international student orientation in 2016, marked the first time that Son visited the U.S.  He credits Stetson’s small size for the ease of his transition, “I got used to my new life in the States quite smoothly with all the help from the WORLD staff and my professors.”  Son said that he was “never made to feel uncomfortable even though I would ask many questions, both in class and in my social interactions”. He said he almost feels like any other student, “including the domestic ones” and says that is probably because English is his second language.

“I would not be where I am now without the personal guidance from the “teachers” that he had at Stetson. Some of them were professors and some of them were his friends. Son came to the U.S. as a new member of Stetson’s Honors Program.  He lived in Conrad Hall, a residential hall designated for mostly Honors and Bonner Program students, all four years.   He says that living in Conrad was the best decision that he ever made.  “I met many of my current friends and mentors from my first few years living there”. Never one to sit still for long, in his sophomore year, Son studied abroad again in Seoul, South Korea for one semester and came back to be a Resident Assistant for Conrad Hall for the last two years as he completed his undergraduate degree. He was also in one of the first groups to graduate from the Centurion Sales Program, under the guidance of Dr. John Riggs.

While Son has always been curious and has had a desire to try new things and explore, he said that none of his experiences would have happened without the encouragement and mentorship of the people that he met at Stetson. After his current job, Son is looking to work on his professional Sales career in a young company and eventually, build his own. Global citizenship, a value Son shares with Stetson, continues to be extremely important to him and he is planning to carry it and live by it wherever he goes during his career.

If you are interested in connecting with son for career networking,  please contact WORLD at [email protected].

Anh M. Nguyen is a third-year student from Vietnam majoring in International Business at Stetson University who recently received the Stetson “Student Employee of the Month – March 2021” recognition.

Anh started her employment journey in the WORLD office at Stetson University in 2019 as a clerical assistant, helping the WORLD personnel including Roxanne Lewis, Paula Hentz, and Wendy Viggiano. In this position, Anh manages a lot of assignments and tasks in the form of designing posters and presentations, planning events, handling email communication, and helping fellow international students’ with the management of their residency statuses here, in the U.S.. Before joining WORLD in 2019, Anh had no prior working experience. She was able to navigate her first employment experience with the WORLD with the help of the welcoming staff and fellow co-workers who guided her through all the hardships and challenges. Anh admits to having wanted to work in the WORLD office the moment he entered the place. This is because the WORLD Office creates a welcoming environment for international students to gather, express their feelings and concerns, and gain the necessary support. She wanted to start working at WORLD to contribute to assisting her fellow international students. Her goal in her student employment position has always been to assist them with their concerns and to help WORLD provide as many development opportunities as possible.

Anh notes that she was both very surprised and excited to receive the “Employee of the Month” recognition. She had always thought of this title but had never thought she would be able to receive it. She credits her supervisor Roxanne Lewis for not only helping her grow and gain so much professionalism over the years, but also for recognizing her efforts and dedication.

She says that the recognition means a lot to her,”It is an indication of my dedication and hard work. It means my work is impactful, not only for my personal growth but also for my fellow Hatters” –putting her in perfect alignment with her job goals.

Anh also shared the lessons she learned, the advice she would give to fellow Stetson employees, and her favorite moments working for WORLD. Anh notes that she gained a lot of various skills in her current position. She learned to work effectively both individually and in a team. Moreover, she was able to familiarize herself with all the management systems, such as the Shared drive and different websites/ platforms that the WORLD uses. Anh’s advice to her fellow Hatters who want to get Stetson employment is to, firstly, improve their time management skills. As a person of many commitments (besides her job, Anh is also the Vice-President of APAC, a Residential Assistant (RA), and most importantly, a full-time student), Anh believes that planning is the best way to manage your time. Every morning, she spends 5-10 minutes planning her day and setting clear priorities for the day. Secondly, Anh advices students to not leave everything to the last minute.

She says, “It is important to do disciplined work every day to be able to set time for other commitments and involvements.”

Lastly, Anh’s favorite part of working on campus is being able to learn from so many amazing individuals. She believes that her involvements always challenge her and help her become better. She hopes sharing this story will inspire other international students at Stetson to get out of their comfort zones and get involved on our campus.

Written by Ani Martikyan ’23