Media Features
Thu Nguyen, a Wiess College senior majoring in chemistry and sociology, thought she knew what she wanted to be in life. “I came into Rice thinking I wanted to give back to the world by becoming a doctor, but I realized that I can give back to the world in other ways that I’m much better at,” Nguyen said.
This stylish student is making the leap from fashion blogger to fashion designer.
The CCD Alumni Spotlight series feature Rice alumni who are paving “unconventional” career paths in the Arts, Communication, or Entertainment space. If you’re interested in UX design or Communications, scroll down to read all about Cassy Gibson and Thu Nguyen’s inspiring career paths and valuable advice.
The intersection between my advocacy work and creative outlets resulted in Rice Paper Houston, the local magazine I produced with scouted friends and strangers. (Volume 2 is scheduled to release by this December, and we are releasing details about submissions to Volume 3 in November!) While at Rice University, I realized that there wasn’t a dedicated platform to promote the voices and accomplishments of AAPIs in Houston. Our community is vibrant with entrepreneurs of all types, artists of all mediums, and talented writers, and young folks like myself or my sister needed to have more role models!
Being raised in a network of nail salons exposed me to the reality of Vietnamese refugees and immigrants who escaped the horrendous conditions of a Communist society. Even today, Vietnamese nationals are trying to leave behind their ethnic homeland to find basic freedoms and build a better life in the United States. While my own parents were fortunate to have access to higher education, graduating as electrical engineers from the University of Texas at El Paso and Northeastern University before opening a nail salon, many other Vietnamese immigrants were unable to navigate American systems, let alone scrape together the means to afford higher education.
When Thu Nguyen heard about the deadly shootings at three Atlanta-area spas, she thought first of her mother, a Vietnamese refugee and long-time owner of a Montrose nail salon.
On New Year’s Eve, a pair of Black couples choose our little Montrose nail salon for a session of manicures and pedicures. They all request nail art, a service that only three of us nail technicians specialize in. So even though it’s not my turn for a client, I come out from the break room to ask for their Pinterest boards and Instagram bookmarks. My mom is tasked with the brown cow-print nails, my aunt with the black-and-white checkerboard, and I juggle two sets, KAWS-style yellow smiley faces and Takashi Murakami-style flowers.
Thu Nguyen describes living and working within minutes of the White House.