Student view: Getting uncomfortable to find community

Addie Nguyen is a senior majoring in marketing in the Eli Broad College of Business with a minor in digital storytelling. She is a communications intern with International Studies and Program and works at the Broad College of Business as a student writer. Addie is an international student from Vietnam and is an active member of the International Students Association.

On my second day in the U.S., I sat in my sparsely furnished dorm room, still trying to process the fact that my feet were on American soil. Sunlight glistened on the cold floor. Not knowing how the next four years of my life would unfold was strangely terrifying and only hit like a truck after the long flight.

I distinctly remember the feeling of not knowing a single soul.

Coincidentally, the first friends I made were not even on my own accord. On one of the 20-minute treks from South Neighborhood to Brody’s dining hall, a girl tapped on my shoulder and asked if I was heading to Brody. Not only did I say yes, but I also joined her and another girl for lunch. No one prepared me for the most genuine, understanding and honest friendship that followed that chance encounter, and all that it took was for someone to start the conversation.

Striking a conversation with a stranger back home is not the norm. Outside the confines of one’s immediate neighborhood, small talk is rarely made. I had to learn this skill — and I do consider it a skill — because talking to strangers meant putting myself out there, and if I was going all the way to MSU to get my education, I knew I better make the most out of it.

All of this to say: I needed to embrace what we as humans generally shy away from. Getting uncomfortable is what helped me make the most of my MSU experience thus far.

Slowly but surely, I have been able to discover and explore my own interests and shape my education my way, all with the help of a network of people who will always have my back.

Joining the Vietnamese Culture Union has provided me with a community that offers some semblance of familiarity, and it’s given me opportunities to lean into creative pursuits. I learned to film videos to promote events, write captions that relate to a specific audience, and to think and communicate more strategically, all under the wings of a more experienced social media person. Apart from great friends, access to good food, and the first place at MSU that helped me hone my storytelling skills, the VCU offered me the reassurance I needed to be proud and showcase my cultural heritage wherever I go.

VCU and the International Students Association often work closely to organize events; I knew people in ISA, and that they needed a digital media person, so it seemed like a natural fit to join last year. Combining what I have learned over the years, from writing in different contexts to video content creation, the role has given me the freedom to both flex my skills as a now seasoned media creative, as well as full ownership of my work as the director.

Joining ISA allows me to carve out another pocket of community on campus and while VCU helped me become comfortable embracing my culture in a new country, ISA exposes me to different countries, cultures and gives me opportunities to collaborate with people who represent different perspectives, passions and interests.

My journey at MSU hasn’t been linear. I have been pulled in numerous directions, and yet with all the confusion, directionlessness, and the terrorizing fear of failure, MSU allowed every part of my identity to freely take shape and explore the endless possibilities to grow as a student. By allowing myself to confront my discomfort and seek out genuine connections, I gained a village of people, and, for that, I am even more thankful.

Banner image is a group photo of Nguyen with the 2026-27 incoming executive board for the International Students Association.