COVID-19 was at its peak in 2020 with masks and hybrid schedules, but that did not stop freshman, now senior, Nevin Nguyen from participating in the Asian Student Union. He opens his laptop, clicks on the blue icon with a camera and joins in on Zoom. Some days he was able to join in person, but had to put on a mask. From a new member of ASU to secretary his junior year to president this year. Nguyen has inspired many by being president of ASU, and also being one of two student leaders of the K-pop club.
Nguyen’s passion for both clubs sores him above the rest along with a four-year consistency and dedication for both clubs. He plans to major in either international business or architecture, both of which demonstrate the necessity for leadership skills which he has grown to embody wonderfully according to friends.
“I just really liked being there and then I wanted to lead the clubs to help them grow more,” Nguyen said.
Senior Vice President Natasha Xiu thinks he has always been a personal person and someone she feels like she can get along with and feel comfortable around, which is important in a leader being the head of an affinity group.
ASU is seen as a tight-knit community. “We usually start with like an icebreaker to get to know everyone and then we started to implement these like sections where we do like artists of the week or word of the week or food of the week where we learn different cultures and just like different things and then we usually like play a game or do a discussion,” junior Public Relations Baotran Huynh explained.
At the beginning of every year ASU starts with a lot of people then it dwindles down, but in cases like this it is seen as bad, it is actually good. The group becomes stronger because of it and a greater bond is able to form between those members.
Although Nguyen is the president, not all of the responsibilities fall upon him to do alone. ASU consists of five board members including himself who he trusts are by his side helping him and working on projects together. Those other four members because of their help lightens the load off of his shoulders a bit.
As Nguyen is in his senior year he enters the year of college applications. He has applied to the University of Minnesota, Augsburg, Hamlin and then come out of state like University of Wisconsin Stout, University of Minnesota Duluth, New York University, Princeton and Harvord. He has gotten responses and acceptance from the U of M, Augsburg, Hamline, UW Stout and UMD.
Nguyen’s plan is to take up the U of M’s acceptance if the out of state colleges deny this application. At the U of M he was asked if he would continue ASU moving forward, “At the U of M right now I was a little bit involved in their VSAN which is the Vietnamese Student Association,” Ngyuen said, “I just want to carry on. It just feels like something familiar.”
Nguyen has grown throughout the years through ASU, K-pop club and singing practices. He has performed at many events like coffee houses and the voices of change conference. This growth has not gone unnoticed by his friends.
“This year he has definitely opened up more I think to like me and the rest of our friends,” Huynh said.
“I definitely see him as being shy but overall, I think he’s like a go-getter, like somebody that you would consider a go-getter. Especially because he like puts himself out there a lot of times,” Xiu said.
