Q: What is your major, and what year are you graduating?
A: I'm majoring in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship and new venture management, and international business. I plan to graduate in 2023!
Q: Why did you decide to enroll at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business?
A: I decided to enroll at D'Amore-McKim because Northeastern University offered the co-op program and opportunities that other university networks did not have when I was choosing where to attend college. D'Amore-McKim has many concentration options too, so I felt like it would be the best fit to grow throughout my education and decide what I wanted to expand on.
Q: Tell us about your experience in the N.U.in Program. What is your favorite memory from your time abroad?
A: Ask anybody that knows me; I LOVED N.U.in London. I was part of the N.U.in Program in 2019 and it has been the highlight of my college experience thus far. I stayed in the beautiful neighborhood of Chelsea, and I attended class just a few miles away in Bloomsbury. Everything about London was incredible, and I made lifelong friends there! My favorite memory during my time there was a trip planned by the program coordinators to Edinburgh, Scotland! My entire dorm building went together, and it was such a fantastic bonding experience for me and my friends. Never in a million years did I think I'd be able to explore the United Kingdom and other countries like I did during N.U.in, and it was an experience I recommend to any first-year who gets admitted.
Q: How did you get involved in the Northeastern ecosystem when you came to the Boston campus?
A: When I came back to Boston, I was introduced to the Women's Interdisciplinary Society of Entrepreneurship (WISE) by my friend Joyce. I immediately joined their marketing team as a photo/video editor to create social media content. I've worked closely with the program since, and it has given me the incredible opportunity to build a strong community, empower other women, and meet people from all different backgrounds at Northeastern.
Q: What clubs and campus initiatives are you involved in now? Why did you decide to join?
A: Currently, I am on the executive board for Northeastern WISE as the incoming VP of marketing for Fall 2021, and I am the media specialist for the Northeastern Vietnamese Student Association (VSA). I decided to join these two student organizations and help lead the communities because I am passionate about entrepreneurship and embracing my Vietnamese heritage.
I've been involved with WISE since coming to campus after N.U.in. I have shifted from photo/video editor, to engagement associate, to partnerships coordinators, and now I am working with the marketing team!
At Northeastern VSA, I help with media posts and marketing, but I'm also involved with planning general meetings every semester, and as a team, we help other Pan Asian American Council organizations on campus succeed! I decided to become a part of the community because I wanted to connect with other students with the same roots and cultural interests. Growing up, I didn't have a community like this, so I was excited to find VSA at Northeastern.
Q: Tell us about your current co-op.
A: For my first co-op, I joined the team at Mixpanel, a product analytics company based in San Francisco, as the People & Culture Co-op! At Mixpanel, I support the people team in employee experience initiatives such as career development, growth, learning opportunities, employee resources groups, and creating the monthly company newsletter. On a daily basis, I meet with the other two co-ops on the people team and my manager to work on long-term projects that benefit the employee experience. I've loved my time on the team so far, and I've felt a significant amount of responsibility as a co-op. I've been able to make a real impact on the company thanks to my awesome manager!
Q: What is it like working with colleagues in a different time zone and balancing their needs with your role?
A: It's been really cool to work with a global team. Since January, my manager has been based in Australia, so we meet at the end of my day to go over the next steps when it's already the following day for her. At Mixpanel, the teams are accustomed to different time zones, so we have meetings that are NA (North America), APAC (Asia-Pacific), and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) friendly all the time to ensure that everyone is in the loop. I work 9-5 on east coast time while most of my team is on the west coast, so the time difference isn't too bad. Some days I just log back in to attend company-wide or group meetings to stay up to date with work. It's all about working together and communicating effectively.
Q: What was it like applying for co-ops during the pandemic? Do you have any tips to share with your peers?
A: To be honest, it was really stressful. By the time November rolled around, I had not heard from a single job I had applied to. The key, I think, is patience. At this time in our world, it's essential to be mindful of everyone's situations and know that time will tell! Patience helped me get through the process with less stress, and in the end, I did get a few interviews right before Thanksgiving, and that's when I accepted my offer at Mixpanel. Just be patient and ask your advisor any questions along the way!
Q: Tell us about your experience working as a social media influencer. How did you start, and what do you like most about it?
A: I started my social media journey when I was just 10 years old! I had nothing to do over the summer, so I began to make short videos on my family computer, and slowly I become interested in video creation and YouTube. In 2015, I launched the channel I have today, and I've been making beauty/fashion and lifestyle content ever since. I love creating videos about anything I am interested in, and at the beginning, that was makeup. As a college student, I now make videos and Instagram content about college life to document it all for viewers who can relate. What I love most about what I do is the community I've fostered over the years. Everyone that has supported me grew up with me on the Internet, so I feel like they're my family! My audience demographics are very close to my age, so I believe I was super lucky to gain a following of like-minded 18–20 somethings navigating life and college with me. I just do all of this to have fun, but it is truly rewarding to meet viewers who've been with me for years and hear how I've influenced their lives!
Q: Working in social media, you must be pretty plugged in all the time. How do you unplug and take time for yourself?
A: You know, this is something I'm still working on. As much as I would like to put away all of my electronics for a full weekend, work always calls, so I try to be intentional with my time throughout the week and take breaks! One notable time would be right after work. I absolutely love to cook and have been doing it almost every day this past year! Prep time and cook time allows me just to unplug and focus on creating a meal to enjoy after a long day, so I really like to take my time cooking to relax. Cooking for me right now is very therapeutic, and it is probably the one time I'm entirely unplugged.
Q: What will you be sharing with our community during your takeover this week?
A: I will be sharing my experiences at Northeastern, including my involvement at clubs, N.U.in London, how I manage my time, and my life outside of school as a social media influencer! Follow along with me this week as I give some insights on how I balance it all!
