Fellow Focus: Thiên Thanh Nguyễn

In this conversation with Pathways Fellow Brooke Luokkala, 2025-26 Undergraduate Humanities Honors Fellow Thiên Thanh Nguyễn discusses his thesis project on the mental health outcomes of working first-generation college students at Emory University and what the 2025-26 research theme "Life/Story" means to him.

Brooke Luokkala: Hi, Thiên. Thank you for joining me. Could you tell me about your project?
 
Thiên Thanh Nguyễn: My project is based in the Department of Sociology. I'm doing an oral history project on working first-generation college students at Emory University, examining how their additional work responsibilities shape their mental health outcomes. I situate their responses within the context of their life histories to humanize the wealth of knowledge and experience they carry with them into the university. This ensures that the university, in turn, truly listens to students and how their identity as a working first-gen student shapes their presence and participation on campus. 
 
BL: So, you're a 2025-26 Life/Story fellow. What does the research theme “Life/Story” mean to you, and how does your project fit that meaning?  
 
TN: For me, “Life/Story” is an opportunity to spotlight the lives of students who may not always get the opportunity to have their voices heard or their stories told, especially in a way that drives innovative change within the university system. What I'm really hoping to get out of this fellowship is the ability to spotlight those stories to the greater Emory community, especially those who may not necessarily identify as first-generation. In this way, we can develop a greater understanding of the lived experiences of these students. I also want to use [my thesis project] as a catalyst for positive change on campus for future incoming students who may go through similar experiences as shared by current students. Given that additional work responsibilities tend to negatively impact students’ mental health outcomes, in what ways can we—or rather, the university—better support these students? 
 
BL: What is your favorite part about being a Fox Fellow? 
 
TN: Definitely the community. Everyone has been supportive and collaborative with one another in our undergraduate [seminar meetings]. We are able to bounce ideas off each other to hone our approach to the research process. I also appreciate connecting with the [Fox Center] staff.  

In our most recent [seminar], we attended a panel with the Graduate Dissertation Completion Fellows and Postdoctoral Fellows at the Fox Center this year. Seeing how their trajectories have ultimately gotten them to this place at Emory, and what other sort of life events that they've undergone to get to this point, was really reassuring for me. It really revealed that there's not one straight path to a PhD or academia, and there are multiple steps and layered experiences within that journey. Just listening to those graduate students speak and also listening to the questions my fellow fellows asked of the panelists was truly insightful. I feel more confident in my decision to pursue a gap year and work prior to attending a PhD program now. 

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.