Accounting undergraduate student Natalie Nguyen continues to address the needs of others while experiencing her own personal growth during her academic journey at the School of Business.
Natalie Nguyen is not short on ambition. Focused on a career in accounting, she is taking advantage of the opportunities at the School of Business by wrapping up her bachelor of science in accounting with a concentration in management information systems before moving on to the master’s in accounting program in the fall of 2023. Additionally, she is active in many extracurricular activities, including volunteer service and leadership in the accounting honor society. Her dedication and hard work led to her being named a recipient of the Emerging Business Leader Award, a scholarship honor awarded to School of Business students exemplifying outstanding leadership and excellent representation of the school.
Nguyen has been a lifeline sponsor in the Child Sponsorship Program for the past several years. Every month she sends funding for two children in her native country of Vietnam, providing them with school supplies and other necessities. This past December she returned to Vietnam and was able to meet with the recipients. “I was able to hear about their experiences after receiving the monthly fee and it was able to help out a lot with their family and education because the U.S. dollar goes very far in Vietnam,” she says. “Seeing them gave me a lot of motivation.” Giving back is important to Nguyen even though she doesn’t have the means to afford everything she wants or needs. And for that reason, she is especially appreciative of receiving the Emerging Business Leader Award. Donors can take comfort in knowing that she already pays it forward through her own generosity. Additionally, she has also volunteered at the animal shelter, taking care of dogs that are to be adopted.
“I remember so clearly that first day I came to Mason, I was very shy and would hold back from everything,” she says. Crediting the leadership positions she’s held with Beta Alpha Psi–an international honor society for accounting, finance, and information systems students–she got out of her comfort zone to work with other students, recruiters, and all sorts of people. Furthermore, caring professors, like Kelly Wentland, really helped her gain confidence and knowledge, not always easy for a course that was taught online. Nguyen remembers Professor Wentland helping her one-on-one with the material following class. “During our conversations I was able to connect with her on a personal level and I told her about my plan for the scholarship,” she says. “She was one of the professors who wrote my letter of recommendation for the scholarship.”
Natalie Nguyen is excited to begin her internship with PricewaterhouseCoopers this summer, a role she hopes to turn into a fulltime position with the firm. Recalling the guidance that she received from Mason alumni, she plans to return to campus and do the same for other students. Nguyen’s generosity and gratitude have kept her balanced, making her someone that others enjoy working with and being around. She is an exemplar recipient of the Emerging Business Leader Award and she will undoubtedly play a role in helping other students like herself.