{"id":216816,"date":"2025-05-29T14:20:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T00:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=216816"},"modified":"2025-05-29T14:27:07","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T00:27:07","slug":"christine-nguyen-hawaii-cc-grad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/05\/29\/christine-nguyen-hawaii-cc-grad\/","title":{"rendered":"At 48, Hawai\u02bbi CC<\/abbr> grad proves it\u2019s never too late to choose yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"nyugen
Christine Nguyen delivered the student keynote address at Hawai\u02bbi Community College.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Christine Nguyen crossed the graduation stage at Hawaiʻi<\/span> Community College<\/a>\u2019s Manono campus on May 16, it wasn\u2019t just a celebration of academic success—it was a triumph of choice, courage and self-belief. Graduating with an associate of science in administration of justice, Nguyen served as the student keynote speaker for Hawaiʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr>\u2019s Class of 2025 and shared a story that resonated deeply with those who know what it means to start over, to carry the weight of others while daring to invest in yourself.<\/p>\n

Although the odds were stacked against her\u2014returning to college in her late 40s, managing an autoimmune disease, raising three children as a single mother, and stepping away from a steady accounting job\u2014Nguyen chose herself. And in doing so, she chose a better future for her family.<\/p>\n

‘No one can take this feeling away from us’<\/h2>\n
\"Christine
Christine Nyugen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“I don\u2019t know about you guys, but I feel on top of the world right now,” Nguyen said in her address to her fellow graduates. “Like I can be anything I want to be, I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. I wish we could encapsulate this feeling in a bottle, and when we are in our darkest hour, I wish we could take the bottle out to give ourselves the strength, courage and resilience we need to forge ahead\u2026no one can take this feeling away from us\u2014it is something we earned, with blood, sweat and tears.”<\/p>\n

Nguyen\u2019s decision to return to school led to more than a degree. She was named Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s 2025 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar, a national honor awarded to the top-scoring community college student in each state based on academic excellence, leadership and service. Selected from nearly 2,100 applicants, she received a $2,250 scholarship and was recognized at the national Phi Theta Kappa Presidents Breakfast in Nashville in April.<\/p>\n

“There were days I thought I could not pick up the pieces and start over,” said Nguyen. “I had to make a decision and I had to prioritize my life, and I chose to prioritize my life by going back to school.”<\/p>\n

While pursuing her degree, Nguyen maintained a 4.0 GPA<\/abbr> and took on multiple leadership roles\u2014president of Phi Theta Kappa, treasurer of student government and the AJ<\/abbr> Club, and vice president of the Wai\u0101kea Elementary PTO<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

“Christine strives for personal excellence while also elevating and serving others on campus and in our community,” said Hawaiʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> counselor and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Advisor Kenoalani Dela Cruz. “As a student leader and scholar, she has served individuals of all ages, from keiki to kupuna. She’s absolutely amazing and it’s been a privilege to collaborate with her!”<\/p>\n

Hawaiʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> community mentorship, care<\/h2>\n
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Christine Nguyen with Hawaiʻi<\/span> CC Chancellor Susan Kazama after earning Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s 2025 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar honor.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She credits the Hawaiʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> community for providing the mentorship and care that helped her succeed.<\/p>\n

“Hawaiʻi<\/span> Community College is a very tightly knit ʻohana<\/span>,” said Nguyen. “I think that they have a very, very strong commitment not just to see students graduate but to see them succeed. And I think that is so important. Hawaiʻi<\/span> Community College really gave me a chance at a new life, a new career, and a new beginning for me, and for that, I will always be appreciative.”<\/p>\n

Nguyen will continue her education at ¶«¾«Ó°Òµ<\/abbr> Hilo with plans to attend law school—proof that even when the path is hard, it\u2019s never too late to change your story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christine Nguyen overcame personal and health challenges to earn her degree and inspire others as Hawaiʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr>\u2019s student keynote speaker.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[1699,234,61,660,71],"class_list":["post-216816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-administration-of-justice","tag-commencement","tag-hawaii-community-college","tag-student-recognition","tag-uh-community-colleges","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216816"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":216878,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216816\/revisions\/216878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}