Vong realizes dream of a U.S. education
When Tatiana Vong was just 18 years old, she found herself in a challenging situation. She had no job or place to live and didn’t speak English.
Vong, who will be graduating magna cum laude Dec. 19 with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in project management, had moved to the United States from Batir, Moldova through a visa exchange program.
After working a week in Pensacola, Fla., she and another woman placed in the same job through the program decided to pursue better options and took a bus to Orlando.
With little money and resources, they needed to find housing and employment. Luckily, they met a family at a grocery store who let them live with them temporarily until they got on their feet.
Vong not only found her way, she started taking classes at Valencia College and got her real estate license. Shortly afterward, she landed a sales executive job with Marriott Vacation Club and won the Sapphire Award in her first year. For the following 10 years, Vong continued to achieve consistent sales with the Club within different departments.
“I have always loved to learn,” said Vong, who is currently a project management intern with PBSC’s Information Technology department. “In Moldova, it’s very hard to find a job other than a labor job, but I have always desired to work with my mind.”
Vong met her husband, Andrew, while working in Orlando. They eventually moved to south Florida so he could study pharmacy at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Having had a good experience at Valencia, she decided to continue her classes at Palm Beach State.
“Sales and marketing was a great job, but I wanted to pursue a degree,” Vong said. “I really wanted to have a lifetime of increased opportunities to land more jobs, where I could collaborate and lead more other than in sales and marketing departments.”
Vong eventually earned an Associate in Arts degree and decided to stay at the College to get a bachelor’s in project management. While in the program one of her professors, Hector Hernandez, recommended her for a student panel to discuss the College’s service desk at a Team Dynamix summit in Miami. During the summit Ken Libutti, chief information officer, approached her and offered her a paid internship with the department.
“The internship is the best thing that could have happened to me as a student,” Vong said. “It has helped me so much in understanding how to apply what I’ve learned to a real job.”
Vong says that the networking opportunities and professors at PBSC are what has made her college experience so rewarding.
“There are so many opportunities to connect with people and the professors are amazing, especially Professor Hernandez. I took 80 percent of my classes with him and he always gave real-life examples directly linked to what I was studying. He was also always motivating and encouraging us and giving us the latest news and trends in the project management field.”
With her degree and internship experience, Vong, now 32, is hoping to get employed full time soon after graduation.
Her parents, who live in a village in Moldova and only recently got running water in their small home, are happy that their daughter got a bachelor’s degree, something they always wished for their children.
“My parents are very proud of me, and I owe so much to Palm Beach State in helping me reach my goals.”
Congratulations!
Thank you Karina
Wow! I love these stories because they remind us of our mission. Congratulations to the graduate. We are Panther proud of you!
Thank you!
Congratulations, Tatiana!
Thank you!
Bravo Tatiana. We are so proud of you !
Glad you chose to study in our Bachelor ‘s degree program.
Anita Kaplan
Thank you, it was an amazing experience!
Congrats Tatiana! I love our bachelor’s program and professors at PBSC!
Thank you!
Congrats Tatiana, outstanding job, keep your dreams going.
Thank you!
CONGRATULATIONS Tatiana! It’s been great to work with you & the IT-Team on some of our Facilities Projects.
Thank you Kirk, i enjoyed working with you and the Facilities team
Very inspiring! Thank you for sharing your story, so proud of you!
Thank you
Congratulations!!! I love it, and I pray you will be graduating soon with a Master’s Degree.
Awesome, proud of you. Remember:
“The temptation to give up is at the highest level just when you are about to succeed”. HrH.
Thank you Professor !
Congratulations Tatiana! It’s been terrific working with you – You are definitely a rising star, and I look forward to seeing great things from you! I have a feeling that years from now I’ll have occasion to reflect back on your time at PBSC and proudly be able to say, “I knew her when…” 🙂
Ты настоящая жемчужина!
Ty nastoyashchaya zhemchuzhina!
Anthony,
Thank you for such beautiful words, i will look back and also say “i remember when i had my first awesome PMO director…”
Great Russian writing 🙂
Thank you
Congratulations Tatiana! All of your hard work and dedication have paved the way for a very bright future! It has been a pleasure getting to know you through the classes we’ve taken together, Good Luck!
Thank you Chris, good luck for you as well!
Tatiana,
You have worked hard and have earned everyone of these academic and personal accolades. We are happy that you decided to intern with us and you have brought great value to our department. Your future is bright and you have the mind, personality and skills to achieve anything you may want in life. We are here to support you in any way we can. Congratulations!
Ken,
Thank you for the beautiful words. I had and having a great experience here at PBSC! Thank you for the opportunity you presented to me.
Happy New Year!
Congratulations Tatiana. You epitomize hard work and dedication. So glad that the library helped you achieve your goals. Palm Beach State College is very proud of you!
Thank you Janet!
Congratulations Tatiana!!! You were an amazing student and I’m very proud of all of your accomplishments. Best of luck in your future endeavors!!!