Sophia Nguyen
The University of Texas at Austin
BSA - Human Development and Family Sciences, Business Minor, Forensic and Pre-Health Certificate

Expectations and sacrifices are the challenges that I faced during my childhood. Being the youngest of three successful older sisters and a role model for my youngest brother fabricated an unexpected obstacle in my life. Additionally, I had adapted to make sacrifices so that my family’s hardships would not exacerbate, even if that meant I would have to miss out on some opportunities. When it was time for me to go off to college, attending The University of Texas at Austin became more a fantasy than a reality. Nevertheless, it was never the intention of my parents to prevent me from obtaining my dreams, so they supported me in any way they could. The cost of admitting to college prevented me from opportunities, including not joining organizations like Sigma Phi Omega. However, as each semester passed, I always came back to the idea of Sigmas until finally, I decided to apply myself in the Spring semester of 2020, and I am glad I did. Although COVID-19 took away my time with Sigmas, I continued to find my support system away from home, amazing mentors, and unforgettable memories. No matter how busy I became with school or work, sigmas were always there for me. I felt blessed to gain such an experience, and after being informed that I was the recipient of the Charitable Foundation Scholarship, I became beyond blessed to be a Sigma. This scholarship will not just lessen the burden my parents carry, but it will contribute to my goal of becoming a voice and inspiration to children in the future, in which I will strive to encourage the girls “to achieve a greater womanhood” just like Sigmas did for me.

Rachel Chen
San Diego State University
B.A. - Psychology

Becoming a sister of Sigma Phi Omega is one of the best decisions I have ever made, and this sorority has given me so many things to be thankful for. Since I crossed in Fall 2017, I've served as Fundraiser Chair, Treasurer, New Member Director, and National Ambassador, and through the ups and downs of pledging and activeship, my love for the sisterhood never wavered. Being in the sorority has taught me so many invaluable lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Throughout these past three years, I've grown as an individual, a sister, a leader, and a friend. Being a Sigma helped me gain the confidence and strength to consistently strive to be a better version of myself, and I am constantly inspired by the hardworking Sigmas around me who've shown me the true meaning of sisterhood. I am extremely honored to have received this scholarship, and I am very thankful for the Charitable Foundation for giving me the opportunity to lessen my financial burden in the upcoming school year. Sigmas is like my second home, and I'm forever grateful to have found a lifelong network of exceptional women within this one-of-a-kind sisterhood.

Linh Huynh
California State University, Long Beach
B.A - Film & Electronic Arts, Editing Concentration

After graduating high school, I did not expect myself to join a sorority during the first semester of my freshman year (Fall 2015). Since crossing into Sigma Phi Omega, I have grown and changed in ways that I did not expect, both professionally and socially. Sigmas provided me a lot of leadership roles over the years such as serving as Historian, Philanthropy Chair, National Ambassador, Vice President, and President. If it wasn’t for this sisterhood, I would not have met the people that I did in college. Everyone through this organization has shaped me to become the individual that I am today and helped me create memories that I will never forget. There were multiple times during my life where I felt I did not have anyone to go to for my problems but after joining Sigmas, I knew I found a group of strong, powerful, and supportive women that will be there for me whenever I need them. As someone who comes from a low-income family, I am honored to be awarded this scholarship by the Foundation as I know it will help me during my final year of college and my journey towards my career.

Rebecca Negri
University of Houston
B.S. Marketing & Management

If you had known me in high school, you would not pin me as a sorority girl. But after going through a rough freshman year of college, I decided to do something for me that would make me happy. I found Sigma Phi Omega (to be more accurate, they found me) at Cat’s Back, UH’s organization fair, and the rest is history! I crossed Fall 15 and gained an amazing group of sisters: my pledge sisters who support me in everything I do, a big who constantly reassures me and cheers me on, and a mom who does everything to care for her kids even though she lives halfway across the world. Since crossing, I have served as Webmistress and MGC Chair and will serve as Rush Chair this upcoming Fall. I also represent Sigmas on MGC Council as the Treasurer. I am honored to have been awarded this scholarship and cannot thank the Foundation enough. I am currently working towards getting my dual degrees in both Marketing and Management and will be starting my senior year.  This scholarship will help me pay for this final year, meaning I can focus on school instead of worrying about money.  Sigmas are my second family, and I will continue to give back for everything I have been given!

Victoria Nguyen
The University of Texas at Dallas
B.S. Biochemistry

Crossing into Kappa Chapter’s fall 2014 Alpha class is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I am incredibly honored and humbled to have received the National Scholarship.  As an active, I had the opportunities of serving as Philanthropy Chair, Graphics Chair, Recruitment Chair, and as the upcoming 2016-2017 President.  This amazing sisterhood has become such an integral part of my life that not only helped me grow as a woman but also gave me the greatest support system and relationships that continue to enrich my life.  I am forever indebted to the invaluable opportunities and experiences Sigma Phi Omega has provided me, which inspires me to continue giving back to this sorority in every way I can.  One of the things I love the most about this sisterhood is the dedication to our philanthropy, domestic violence prevention and awareness, which fueled my passion to be in service of others.  I will continue to incorporate our philanthropy into my endeavors as a future physician and I am extremely grateful for the Charitable Foundation for helping me accomplish my academic goals through this award.

Jooyeon Chae
Texas A&M University
B.A. Chemistry

I fell in love with Sigmas and crossed in Fall 2010 as a freshman at Texas A&M University. Serving as my chapter’s President, National Ambassador, and a multitude of other positions, I was heavily involved with the sorority and have witnessed my chapter blossom into an amazing organization at my school. Sigmas have always been a huge part of my life and I am humbled to have received the National Scholarship during the year I graduated! I am currently a full-time Doctor of Pharmacy student at Texas Tech, and this scholarship has helped me pay for my first year of professional school. I will be receiving my PharmD in May 2018, and hope to contribute more to the sorority as a whole after I complete my education. Though my college days are over, I am forever grateful for the close friendships I’ve gained from this sisterhood and the many life lessons I’ve learned as a sister of Sigma Phi Omega. 

Lucy Xie
The University of Texas at Austin
B.S. Petroleum Engineering

Since graduating from the University of Texas in May 2014, I have worked as a petroleum engineer at Hess Corporation and lived in both Houston, Texas and Minot, North Dakota. I've kept in touch with many sisters but will always miss my college days in Sigmas! I was so thankful to receive the scholarship from the Charitable Foundation not only because it helped support me financially and allowed me to focus on school and Sigmas, but also because it showed that dedication to the school and the sorority doesn't go unnoticed. We all contributed a lot of time and effort as actives, and I appreciate that the Charitable Foundation recognizes this. Being awarded the scholarship was truly an honor and one of the many highlights during my time as an active.

Mylinh Tran
The University of Texas at Austin
Business Honors Program, Management, and Government

I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin (UT) in December 2011, where I majored in Business Honors, Management, and Government.   Since crossing Gamma Chapter’s spring 2008 Alpha Lambda class, I've been actively involved in the sorority and have held leadership positions such as President, National Ambassador, and Pledge Captain.  Besides the National Scholarship, I am the recipient of several Gamma Chapter awards including “Scariest Active”, “Classiest Sigma”, and “Best Junior Active”.  

Upon graduating from UT, I co-founded the Gamma Chapter Board of Trustees, a group of alumnae committed to giving back annually to the sorority.   Today, I live in Dallas, TX and travel every week for work as a Management Consultant for a St. Louis-based consulting firm. 

Nancy Liu Kuo
University of Southern California
B.S. Business Administration

I joined Sigmas my freshman year of college and I can say now, almost 10 years later, that joining Sigmas was one of the best decisions of my life. Because of Sigmas, my college career was filled with memorable experiences and amazing friendships. The scholarship helped me financially so that I could focus on school and extracurricular activities. 

I now live in the DC metropolitan area and work at Deloitte in Risk & Regulatory Affairs.

Michelle Ta
San Diego State University

My Thu Tran
University of Texas at Austin
Master in Professional Accounting, Bachelor of Business Administration

I started my career at  PwC in the Core Assurance practice in the Houston office in 2009.  I later transferred to the San Francisco office as a Senior Associate in 2012.  I have been in my current Learning & Development role since March 2014 and am continuing my education by obtaining an MA in Industrial/Organizational (IO) psychology.  

Being in Sigmas helped me become who I am today, and this scholarship allowed me to focus on school and have one less financial issue to worry about.

Jesseca Lerdsuwanrut
University of Southern California
B.S. Business Administration, Corporate Finance Concentration

Since graduating from the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business in 2007, I reminisce on my time with Sigma Phi Omega most fondly. Being a recipient of the National Board scholarship was very humbling given the caliber of the sorority's amazing women. The scholarship supplemented my work/study program during college and allowed me to spend more time bonding with my sisters. To this day, my closest friends are my sorority sisters, and that would not have been possible without this strong organization's charitable nature.   

I have been working in the financial sector in various roles since graduation. I first joined Deloitte's Financial Advisory Services practice, but soon after made a lateral move to Houlihan Lokey's Financial Advisory Services group. After promotion from Analyst to Associate, I made another move into the firm's Technology, Media & Telecom investment banking division. From there, I was promoted again, this time to Vice President, before moving from the client service side into an internal Corporate Development & Strategy role, reporting directly to the firm's Chief Financial Officer. I greatly enjoy my work and have made it my personal mission to collaborate with other women, both inside and outside of the firm, to further advance our careers, especially in this male-dominated industry. 

Rosa Nam
The University of Texas at Austin
B.A. English and Asian American Studies

Many years ago, I crossed Alpha Beta class and served as National Ambassador and Pledge Mom for Alpha Theta class. I graduated with a double major and began my career in education. I taught high school English for 6 years in Alief and am now teaching online and working on my Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. Basically, I love summers and refuse to wear business casual. 

Joining Sigmas was among the best decisions I've ever made in my life along with offering my now husband my phone number and impulsively adopting my two pups from the SPCA— all have brought joy and near-death experiences to my life. Thank you to the charitable foundation for the scholarship. I think I spent it in Hawaii. Hey, I learn more outside of school than in. Hook 'Em!