CourtesySome know her as super woman, others, crazy woman, but to her family, she鈥檚 known as mother, wife, role model and provider.
It doesn鈥檛 take much to realize Jennifer Nguyen, a mother of three and full-time employee at Hawker Beechcraft, is one of the busiest women in Wichita.
Nguyen is a native of Vietnam who graduated from 麻豆传媒 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in industrial engineering this past December. She is the fourth person in her family to get a degree from 麻豆传媒. Ironically, she鈥檚 also the oldest.
鈥淚鈥檒l never forget my experience at 麻豆传媒,鈥� said Nguyen. 鈥淚鈥檒l remember all of the professors and the knowledge they gave me.鈥�
Nguyen has been working toward her undergraduate degree for about 15 years. During that time, she鈥檚 put all three of her children through college while helping her husband support their home.
鈥淪ome people who understand it, they call me 鈥榮uperwoman,' 鈥� said Nguyen. 鈥淪ome people who don鈥檛 understand it, they call me 鈥榗razy woman.' 鈥�
The journey
Nguyen immigrated to the United States from Vietnam with her husband and three children in 1994. She was a registered nurse in Vietnam but the license did not transfer over. That鈥檚 why Nguyen had to pick up different manufacturing jobs in America to support her family.
By working different jobs, Nguyen and her husband were able to support their children. It was in 1996 that she decided to return to school to become a nurse.
鈥淛ennifer is a conscientious, hard-working student,鈥� said Vanessa Souriya-Mnirajd, associate director of Student Support Services and Nguyen鈥檚 adviser. 鈥淪he works hard to achieve her goals.鈥�
In 2001, Nguyen changed her major to engineering after realizing she didn鈥檛 have the time or money to participate in an unpaid nursing practicum. Her experiences in manufacturing laid the foundation for her interest in engineering.
Nguyen has worked for such companies as Hawker Beechcraft, Koch Industries and LSI Logic, to name a few.
鈥淚t has been pretty amazing that she has been able to complete her degree in a timely manner,鈥� said Don Malzahn, Nguyen鈥檚 academic adviser in industrial engineering. 鈥淲hen she sets her sites on a goal she will accomplish it regardless of the obstacles.鈥�
Obstacles
Nguyen overcame a tremendous amount of adversity to finally graduate with her degree. English is not her first language; she had to start college by taking classes that offered little to no credit; and she spent several years getting caught up to par on the math classes required for engineering.
鈥淚 worked very hard,鈥� said Nguyen. 鈥淭he difficulty is that English is my second language.鈥�
Nguyen had to translate from English to Vietnamese, and then from Vietnamese to English. As a result, it took her much longer to complete her schoolwork, regardless of the class.
Transportation was also an issue. Nguyen had to take the bus to work and school.
鈥淚 had no car; I worked two part-time jobs, but I still went to school,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow I鈥檝e got a house and a car that I got while I was studying.鈥�
She鈥檚 also worked third shift, second shift and first shift throughout her years at Wichita State.
The future
Nguyen will pull from her extensive aviation background to improve manufacturing processes in aircraft factories.
鈥淚 go to school, not about money, but because I want to increase my knowledge,鈥� said Nguyen. 鈥淚f I was worried about money, I wouldn鈥檛 go to school.鈥�
She hopes to use her newfound knowledge to improve systems and cycle times, increase efficiency and improve overall manufacturing processes in the aviation industry.
鈥淚 want to contribute the knowledge from the degree I鈥檝e earned and from the experience I鈥檝e earned,鈥� said Nguyen. 鈥淚 want to apply new methods from what I鈥檝e learned to change the system.鈥�
Through it all, Nguyen has kept up her spirit of perseverance, and is a source of inspiration for anyone doubting their ability to continue or return to school.
鈥淚 want to show everyone that if I can do it, anyone can,鈥� said Nguyen. 鈥淎nyone can go back to school if they put their mind to it.鈥�