Nhi Tong
2015-2016 MCN Fellow | Undergraduate University: St. John's University | Place of Origin: Vietnam
My MCN Story:
"I knew about MCN through a friend that interned at the organization two summers ago. She invited me to be a part of the Millennium Campus Network in 2015. I remembered feeling overwhelmed because I had never met so many young, inspiring, and passionate people in my life. I also marveled at how such a small team at MCN could organize events on a global scale and connect young leaders all around the world. It was admirable.
After the conference, I continued getting involved with the fellowship as I started my journey as a student leader on campus. It was an opportunity that I was very lucky to have and I appreciate all the work that MCN has put into growing the next generation of leaders.
Recently, I had the opportunity to intern with UNICEF USA and BRAC. MCN is closely related to my experiences with both of the organizations. The Millennium Campus Fellowship and MCN's New York City Hub Site Director Natalie Tevethia, our amazing facilitator and mentor, helped our team a lot with knowledge resources and skill training when we were still building the UNICEF club in school. I also got to know BRAC, an incredible development organization, through a networking event hosted by MCN. I am very thankful for MCN. Without it, I would never be where I am right now."
Student Leadership:
"Last school year, being the President of the UNICEF club on my campus taught me immensely about being a leader. It was difficult managing time between classes, extracurricular activities and internships, but I learned so much about myself. I realized that I was the most effective leader when I worked under pressure for a meaningful cause that I cared about, with other people. As a club, we ran a lot of fundraising events for UNICEF USA; and looking back, none of those fundraising events would've been possible without teamwork. In addition, it was such a joy to provide my team members with resources and training so that they could become confident in spearheading their own projects.
My work for UNICEF was very important to me. I pushed myself to work hard under many situations because I knew the work that we did as a club would help UNICEF run its life-saving programs for children around the world. I felt personally connected with my work and this passion drove me to be ambitious, curious, and hard-working."
Today:
"I am presently a rising senior at St. John's University majoring in Communication Arts. Before becoming a part of the Millennium Campus Fellowship in 2015, I wasn't sure what I would like to do, career-wise, with my focus of study in Communication. The eight-month MCN fellowship helped me realize how much I was curious and passionate about global development. The discussions and training also inspired me to reflect more on my role as a young person in the global development world. I thought a lot about what I could do, what I should study and focus on, what my values were, how I should connect with other young people, and how I could build myself as an individual contributing to sustainable change. After taking some international communication classes, as a part of my major, I knew what I wanted- I wanted to approach global development through communications. I'm testing the waters right now and am currently navigating through different internship experiences to see what works and what doesn't work for me. It's all very exciting!"
*The "quotes" above have been edited for concision and clarity.