Nguyen - nova annandale
meet nguyen from northern virginia community college - annandale
Nguyen started with College Steps in Fall 2017, part of our first-semester cohort at NOVA Annandale. He likes to play video games, loves Anime, exercising, and watching old cartoon shows like Ed Ed and Eddy, Dexter's Laboratory, and Courage the Cowardly Dog. Nguyen will graduate from NOVA this May with an AS in Computer Science and was accepted to George Mason University (GMU) for the Fall of 2021. All of us at College Steps are wishing Nguyen continued success as he transitions to GMU to pursue his academic and career goals.
Q. What do you plan to major in at GMU and why?
I will major in Applied Computer Science with a Computer Game Design concentration. In 2015 my dad showed me gaming codes and this got me interested in how video games are made. I hope to be a coder for video games after I graduate.
Q. Why did you choose NOVA and College Steps?
NOVA is a great place to learn. I joined College Steps because I needed help in college and wanted to meet new people.
Q. What was your favorite part about attending NOVA and College Steps?
My favorite part about NOVA is Student Life and the NOVA fair that they have each year. I miss being on campus. College Steps was a lot of fun. We have pizza parties and get to hang out and watch movies together.
Q. What was one challenging experience you had at NOVA and how did you overcome that?
English 111/English fundamentals III was challenging. The essays were very hard and I was scared. To overcome my fear of writing essays, I used the writing center, met with my professor, and worked with my mentors. Communication was always challenging for me. I had to retake this course and work harder to pass and I eventually succeeded by practicing my speeches. Physics was difficult as well. Last fall semester I had to study for at least 8 hours outside of class each week in order to complete labs and prepare for exams. Throughout my time at NOVA, I had to balance my love of playing video games with academic responsibilities.
Q. What are you most looking forward to at GMU?
I’m looking forward to getting involved in clubs, using the game room on campus and all the fast-food options such as Steak N Shake. I also hope to learn new skills in coding and take graphic design courses.
Q. What words of wisdom or advice would you give to someone who is nervous about going to NOVA or joining College Steps?
I would tell them that there are nice people at NOVA and College Steps. The professors are friendly and want students to succeed. I would advise new students to use professors' office hours to ask questions about the homework and get the help they need.