{"id":52564,"date":"2023-08-24T11:07:13","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T15:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=52564"},"modified":"2023-08-29T07:35:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T11:35:13","slug":"paying-it-forward-for-alum-cap-nguyen-utc-took-a-chance-on-me-and-gave-me-a-great-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/paying-it-forward-for-alum-cap-nguyen-utc-took-a-chance-on-me-and-gave-me-a-great-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Paying it forward: For alum Cap Nguyen, \u201cUTC took a chance on me and gave me a great opportunity\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe title=\"Advancement - Cap Nguy\u1ec5n Profile\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\"src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rTdgmI7zIQE?rel=0&#038;modestbranding=1&#038;autohide=1&#038;showinfo=0&#038;controls=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Cap Nguyen was 18 years old when he spent a month on a boat on the Pacific Ocean. It wasn\u2019t a joy ride.<\/p>\n<p>As the Vietnam War came to an end in 1975 with the communist regime in North Vietnam overrunning South Vietnam, Nguyen and eight members of his family, including his parents, boarded a fishing boat to escape the deadly chaos. About 40 other people joined them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody left if they could,\u201d said Nguyen.<\/p>\n<p>They first sailed to Singapore, which gave them food and water but wouldn\u2019t let them stay. The same thing happened in the Philippines. They were finally welcomed to Guam, a U.S. territory.<\/p>\n<p>Sponsored by the Church World Service chapter at Red Bank Baptist Church, Nguyen and his family were brought to Chattanooga, where he enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1976 and graduated in 1980 with a degree in electrical engineering.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_52568\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" data-attachment-id=\"52568\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/paying-it-forward-for-alum-cap-nguyen-utc-took-a-chance-on-me-and-gave-me-a-great-opportunity\/cap-nguyen-23-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1473.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"933,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Angela Foster\/University of Tennessee at Chattanooga&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Cap Nguyen tours Friday, June 30, 2023 in the Engineering and Computer Science building.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1688133267&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;59&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.02&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Cap Nguyen-23-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Cap Nguyen-23-\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Cap Nguyen tours Friday, June 30, 2023 in the Engineering and Computer Science building.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1473-746x1024.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-52568 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1473-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Cap Nguyen (photo credit: Jerrod Niles)\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1473-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1473-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1473-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1473-75x75.jpg 75w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cap Nguyen (photo credit: Jerrod Niles)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cMy story is about American generosity and opportunity,\u201d said Nguyen, an honors student and an active Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers member while at UTC. \u201cI believe that UTC took a chance on me and gave me a great opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt provided me the skill set that changed my life outlook drastically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To pay the generosity forward, Nguyen has started a $25,000 scholarship for students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science who have demonstrated successful academic performance and may need financial aid to attend college.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope this small investment will make a real difference in someone\u2019s life in a similar way that other people helped me when I was in need.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to put a nice bow on my career and transfer my experience to the next generation. That\u2019s how I think that paying forward is a good way. UTC was my love and is my love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kim White, vice chancellor of advancement at UTC, said Nguyen\u2019s life story is \u201cinspiring and it really does show how education and opportunity changes lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis story\u2019s all about determination and opportunity, and I think that\u2019s really how students succeed, coming here wanting to have a better life and wanting to grow and excel.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_52570\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"895\" data-attachment-id=\"52570\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/paying-it-forward-for-alum-cap-nguyen-utc-took-a-chance-on-me-and-gave-me-a-great-opportunity\/cap-nguyen-23-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1481.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,895\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Angela Foster\/University of Tennessee at Chattanooga&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Cap Nguyen tours Friday, June 30, 2023 in the Engineering and Computer Science building.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1688134933&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;35&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Cap Nguyen-23-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Cap Nguyen-23-\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Cap Nguyen tours Friday, June 30, 2023 in the Engineering and Computer Science building.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1481-1024x716.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-52570 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1481.jpg\" alt=\"During a visit to UTC in June, Cap Nguyen met with Dr. Ahad Nasab in the UTC Mechatronics Lab. Photo by Jerrod Niles.\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"height=\"1679\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1481.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1481-1024x716.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1481-768x537.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1481-580x406.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1481-610x427.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1481-1536x1075.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1481-2048x1433.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">During a visit to UTC in June, Cap Nguyen met with Dr. Ahad Nasab in the UTC Mechatronics Lab. Photo by Jerrod Niles.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Nguyen is now a project manager for NASA in Houston and working on Artemis II, the project that plans to launch a manned fly-by mission to the moon and back in November 2024.<\/p>\n<p>In March 2023, Nguyen won the Johnson Space Center Director\u2019s Innovation Group Achievement Award from NASA for the work he and his team did on software for the project.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNASA has many talents with much higher academic credentials than me. They also have many other skills and knowledge that I do not have,\u201d he said. \u201cI am so grateful that I have an opportunity of working on something that I really love. I hope my work here will contribute to the future space exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nguyen\u2019s interest in space exploration began in 1969 when he was 13 and heard U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon and say, \u201cOne small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat statement gave me such a good impression at a young age,\u201d Nguyen said.<\/p>\n<p>When he fled Vietnam in 1975, he was one month shy of graduating from high school. He was proficient in math, but his English was not, which was a problem after arriving in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI studied English in high school, and I could write and read fairly well for my school work, but I had great difficulty in listening and in conversation,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>Members of Red Bank Baptist and administrators from UTC helped him take the required tests and improve his English to the level required for acceptance as an engineering student at UTC.<\/p>\n<p>He excelled in his studies. As a member of the Honors program, he was chosen as the best freshman engineering student in 1976 and was awarded scholarships from the Chattanooga Engineers Club. He graduated in 1980 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in electrical engineering.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUTC had offered me a lifetime opportunity. It provided me the skill set that changed my life outlook drastically,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/give.utc.edu\/s\/1341\/utc\/17\/home.aspx?gid=3&amp;pgid=9817\"><strong>Want to learn about giving opportunities? Click here to learn about the UTC Division of Advancement<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n<p>As the lone breadwinner in his family, he had to work while going to school. He landed a job at Swope Equipment and Supply Co. as a janitor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cleaned up the shop, and I cleaned the warehouse,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cUnfortunately, I cleaned diligently and it was so clean, so sparkly clean, I ran out of a job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But his obvious work ethic caught the eye of Sam Swope, a member of Red Bank Baptist. Nguyen said Swope gave him a new job unloading parts from 18-wheelers at the warehouse. So Nguyen took classes during the day and worked at night.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne night, for some reason, Mr. Swope came back to the warehouse, and he saw me working. Later on, he opened up a gas station, so he asked me, \u2018You want to take care of my gas station?\u2019 and I said, \u2018Yes, I would love to.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As manager, Nguyen was able to hire his father, \u201cSo now we have two incomes, and I don\u2019t have to work so much overtime. I have more time for school.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After graduating from UTC, he worked in private industry for several years, then started his own engineering company, which he ran for 12 years. He retired but got bored, he said, and he\u2019s now been at NASA for 14 years.<\/p>\n<p>With his scholarship, he hopes to help other students achieve their goals like he was helped when he was a student at UTC.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope this small investment will make a real difference in someone\u2019s life in a similar way that other people helped me when I was in need.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Learn More<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/enrollment-management-and-student-affairs\/admissions\/visit\">Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/give.utc.edu\/s\/1341\/utc\/17\/home.aspx?gid=3&amp;pgid=9817\">UTC Advancement<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/engineering-and-computer-science\">Engineering and Computer Science<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/apply\">How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_52566\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1028\" data-attachment-id=\"52566\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/paying-it-forward-for-alum-cap-nguyen-utc-took-a-chance-on-me-and-gave-me-a-great-opportunity\/cap-nguyen-23\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1489.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,1028\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Angela Foster\/University of Tennessee at Chattanooga&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Cap Nguyen tours Friday, June 30, 2023 in the Engineering and Computer Science building.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1688135552&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;49&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Cap Nguyen-23-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Cap Nguyen-23-\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Cap Nguyen tours Friday, June 30, 2023 in the Engineering and Computer Science building.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1489-1024x823.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-52566 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1489.jpg\" alt=\"Cap Nguyen has started a $25,000 scholarship for students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science who have demonstrated successful academic performance and may need financial aid to attend college.\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"height=\"1928\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1489.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1489-1024x823.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1489-768x617.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1489-580x466.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1489-610x490.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1489-1536x1234.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/08\/Cap-Nguyen-23-1489-2048x1645.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cap Nguyen has started a $25,000 scholarship for students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science who have demonstrated successful academic performance and may need financial aid to attend college.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cMy story is about American generosity and opportunity,\u201d said UTC graduate Cap Nguyen, an honors student and an active Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers member while at UTC. \u201cI believe that UTC took a chance on me and gave me a great opportunity. It provided me the skill set that changed my life outlook drastically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><span><a class=\"more-link button text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/paying-it-forward-for-alum-cap-nguyen-utc-took-a-chance-on-me-and-gave-me-a-great-opportunity\/\"><span>Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1105,"featured_media":52566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,123864,59,3,48048,8244,12745,781],"tags":[122124,123068,48192,930,123069],"class_list":{"0":"post-52564","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-college-of-engineering-and-computer-science","10":"category-community","11":"category-electrical-engineering","12":"category-honors-and-awards","13":"category-honors-college-2","14":"category-scholarship","15":"tag-advancement","16":"tag-cap-nguyen","17":"tag-kim-white","18":"tag-nasa","19":"tag-red-bank-baptist-church","20":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Paying it forward: For alum Cap Nguyen, \u201cUTC took a chance on me and gave me a great opportunity\u201d | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cMy story is about American generosity and opportunity,\u201d said UTC graduate Cap Nguyen, an honors student and an active Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers member while at UTC. \u201cI believe that UTC took a chance on me and gave me a great opportunity. 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