Student Spotlight | Hong Vo | #VUHRDStory
Stepping out of my comfort zone, leaving family and friends behind in Vietnam, taking a 41-hour flight to a whole new world, and, in vain, searching for an accommodation. This was obviously not a pleasant experience when I first arrived in the U.S. Yet, my first few weeks at Villanova University simply bolsters that unpleasant experience all worthwhile. I feel like I just can’t get enough of it.
Immersing yourself in a new culture with tons of things to learn is enthusing and challenging at the same time. However, warm greetings, comprehensive orientations about international involvement, study support, networking opportunities such as Graduate Student Retreat, Day of Service and challenge rope course have sailed me through smoothly. The career orientation and professional development are perpetually drawing my attention as well. The Villanova University Student Chapter of Society for Human Resource Management (VUSHRM) attempts to bring students closer with social events such as Happy Hour as well as engage students in networking events to connect students with employers. The career center is another plus, where we can book individual appointments for resume checks or just practice one-to-one interviews for our benefit. Also, tutoring services at Villanova University ranges from the writing center, to the center for speaking and presentation, and computer science tutoring are also available on an individual basis if we ever want to reach out. The assistance on the spot absolutely goes beyond my expectations.
What’s more, I am one of the graduate assistants to represent a Student SHRM Chapter in which I am part of the greatest executive team ever. I can always learn from my team with event-organizing skills, collaboration, vision, ambition or sense of humor and feel connected with the faculty members in the department. Thanks to such great people with great mindset and thinking, there is always room for me to improve myself, and space for me to learn something. Truly, I am thankful to VUHRD for having me as a member of the department.
One more captivating thing is by the time I graduate, I will be able to get a degree and an HR Certificate of my choice. No one can foretell their future exactly and neither could I. However, one thing for sure is that a Master of Science in Human Resource Development from Villanova University will be one of the most rewarding life chapters. This is an opportunity in which I will fulfill myself by expanding my horizon in the field I am most passionate about and learning from my friends and colleagues. The next chapter of my life will definitely blossom with opportunities.
The moment I encountered the graduate program in Human Resource Development at Villanova, somehow my intuition said: “This is it.” The more I found out about the program and the university, the more excited and determined I felt to prepare myself for acceptance. The first day at my very first orientation with the university, I was asked an ice-breaker question “If you could live one day over again, what day would it be and why?”, now I would switch my answer to the day I found Human Resource Development program at Villanova University, the day that would open door to a whole new world for me like I’m living now.
To put it in a nutshell, as the motto of my university says “Ignite change, Go Nova”, Villanova University is totally a perfect place for my studies and I could not ask for more from a Human Resource Development Department. My last words are I #VUHRD to find more of myself in the service of others.
Hong Vo is a new Graduate Assistant in the VUHRD program. Previously she worked in the Department of Labor for the Vietnam government. She recently moved to America from Vietnam to pursue her MS in HRD. Connect with her here!
