Making it Real

By Leila Ugincius

When Timmy Nguyen heard about Virginia Commonwealth University's "Make it real" contest, he didn't immediately want to apply. The contest invited students, employees and alumni to share their stories of how VCU helped them "Make it real" — the university's new tagline.

But after a day or two, the 2011 VCU School of Business graduate said, the contest was still in his head, so he decided to give it a shot.

"The reason why I joined the contest was to be able to share with others how VCU has made it real for me and ultimately allow others such as students to see that it is possible to do the same thing," Nguyen said. "I didn't expect to win, but I wanted to be able to feature my story for others to read. I wanted to let people know: everyone has a different story and perspective of how the university has impacted them. Whether you're a student, faculty or alum."

Nguyen may not have thought he would win, but the Facebook fans disagreed. After a close contest, he won with 23 percent of the votes.  He, along with the two runner-ups, will be featured in the "Make it real" ad campaign.

The Richmond native's journey into making his dreams a reality started his very first day at VCU. Nguyen's goal had always been to work for the federal government. On the first day of his freshman year, he met with his career adviser, Darlene Ward Thompson, who helped set that plan in motion.

"I told her I really wanted to get something involved with the government. The first day, she was able to help me set an internship up with the city of Richmond and I came in and started, and that really triggered/jumpstarted my career," he said. "If it wasn't for me being in local government, I would never have ended up in the federal government."

Today, Nguyen works for the U.S. government. 

Laura S. Georgiadis' dream was to have a child.

Georgiadis, assistant to the Vice Provost in the Division of Community Engagement, is the first-runner-up.

“Having been born with a congenital heart defect, I was unsure of the possibility of one day becoming a mom," Georgiadis wrote in her contest entry. "My dream to have a child was made real by VCU Health System!"

In addition to receiving outstanding care as a VCU patient, Georgiadis also received excellent benefits as an employee. The university afforded her flex time to attend numerous doctor's appointments, as well as providing her access to the VCU Health System's child care center. 

Second runner-up Qasim Kazmi is a senior biology major in the College of Humanities and Sciences who has already been accepted to the VCU School of Medicine.

"VCU has helped me not only unlock and nurture my limitless imagination, but actually transform my visions into reality," Kazmi wrote in his entry.  "I never imagined I would have the extraordinary opportunities and experiences I have had at VCU and none of them would have been possible without the incredible support and unique resources VCU offers to its students."

The real-world opportunities that VCU provides was a running theme for all of the contestants.

"VCU means everything to me," Nguyen said. "One, it's a great place where I got a great education from the School of Business. I love VCU a lot, but ultimately, the most important thing is that it jumpstarted my career. I will never forget that."

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