Onondaga Community College's affordability and wide range of academic options provided Jenny Nguyen, RN, with the opportunity to find her passion. When she came to OCC from Cicero-North Syracuse High School six years ago, she couldn't decide on a specific major - so she went in several directions. "In my first semester, I took classes I liked. I needed to explore what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and I knew I wouldn't go into debt at OCC doing that."
Throughout her first semester, her academic interests kept changing. She seemed to have a new favorite class each week. Ultimately, a conversation with a counselor set her on her path. "She asked me if I wanted to try Nursing and helped me apply. I didn't know what I was getting into. I ended up getting into the program. Meeting that counselor changed everything."
Nguyen had taken an Anatomy & Physiology class in high school that interested her. The course is also a staple for students in OCC's health-related fields of study. But, she admits, "I had no idea what nurses did before I started the program."
The supportive community within the Nursing degree program provided Nguyen the confidence she needed, especially the faculty. "Professors Brian Kling and Cindy Arcuri never doubted me. They instilled in me that I could do it, and I would make it. They believed in me.”
Thanks to their support and her hard work, Nguyen was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. In 2022, she completed her Nursing degree. She was working at SUNY Upstate Medical University and continuing her education there, when she decided to switch to Western Governors University's online Nursing program. Earlier this summer, she completed her bachelor's degree.
Her academic and professional success also provided her the opportunity to be featured in a SUNY Upstate Medical University video, where she discussed her role at the hospital. She's a member of a Medical Surgical Adult Support Pool, a flexible group of colleagues who provide temporary nursing support to various medical-surgical units that care for adult patients with diverse medical conditions. "I really like it. It challenges my critical thinking because I'm in a moving environment. I really have to trust myself. I go home satisfied with what I do each day. I feel like I've made a difference in multiple people's lives."
As she spends her days helping people, Nguyen is also thinking about her next career milestone. She's considering pursuing a master's degree in health informatics, which combines data science and health information technology to improve healthcare delivery and decision-making.
Whichever direction she goes in next, she's proud of the foundation she built at OCC, and hopes future students will have a similar experience. “Follow your passion and lean on your support system. You’ll never know where they will take you. I am the shyest person and the biggest introvert. I can’t believe when I was at OCC, I was asking for advice every single day. It worked for me, and it can work for you too.”
