Calvin Nguyen

Engineering Futures Scholar

Calvin Nguyen, a chemical engineering student from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University said he wants to improve the engineering of Pharmaceuticals after he graduates.

Nguyen, who is from Boise, Idaho, said he wanted to attend ASU because he knew that the engineering school had a great reputation and he enjoyed the idea of living in a big city since, to him, Boise seemed too small to him. 

“I know it’s a growing city right now, but it’s a little small,” Nguyen said. “I wanted to change things up and go somewhere big in Arizona.”

Nguyen was inspired to pursue engineering because there are a lot of chemical engineers in his family and thus, he decided to do more research into engineering to see if he would be interested as well. Since then, he said he’s developed a passion to focus on engineering in the pharmaceutical industry and learning how to improve the industry and improve efficiency in the future.  

One of the challenges that Nguyen has overcome since attending college is keeping track of due dates and assignments. He said that the way he’s overcome this challenge is by writing the due dates in a planner and he checks his email consistently to keep up with the professor’s announcements in case there is something he missed in class. 

Nguyen said the transition to living on-campus was “different” because he had to adapt to living with suitemates, but he said he enjoys the atmosphere and enjoys the opportunity to meet so many new people. 

“It’s kind of like living in a hotel, but it’s fun and you meet a lot of people in the dorms and just have a bunch of friends you can rely on,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen said the person who has impacted him the most was one of the community advisors (CA) who worked in Nguyen’s residence hall. He was a chemical engineering student who helped him with school related questions, like advice on scheduling classes.

“He’s been showing me the ropes and showing me how to do things over here,” Nguyen said.  

Nguyen plans to get into in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), which is a professional organization for chemical engineers, and is looking forward to taking classes that focus on topics related to his major. 

Nguyen said he encourages that incoming freshman utilize a planner as well to help organize their schedules and to be aware of the heat that engulfs the area during the summers. 

“I would probably tell them to use a planner or a calendar to write down their schedule and homework to get planning since homework will build up on you if you kind of slack off,” Nguyen said. 

By Laura Stack, Science and Technology Writer, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
August 4, 2020