Southern Miss Gulf Coast Student Overcomes Setback
from Hurricane to Graduate

by Charmaine Williams

On Saturday, May 10, The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast held its commencement ceremony for spring graduates. Among those graduates was Vinh Nguyen, a student who earned his bachelor of science in nursing degree after returning to Southern Miss when he was displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

When Hurricane Katrina damaged the Mississippi Gulf Coast in August 2005, Nguyen’s home in Biloxi washed away along with his textbooks and nursing supplies. When Southern Miss Gulf Coast resumed classes six weeks after the hurricane’s landfall, Nguyen returned with only a few borrowed books.

Across Mississippi and Louisiana, families were separated in order to accommodate new living arrangements. When Nguyen’s father moved to Shreveport to keep his position in the gaming industry, Nguyen stepped up to take care of his mother and younger siblings.

The added stress made it difficult for Nguyen to stay in the School of Nursing. After trying to manage his school schedule, Nguyen made the decision to leave Southern Miss Gulf Coast in November.

“It was hard,” said Nguyen. “I’ve never dropped out of anything, but there was too much going on. It was a big challenge taking care of my family, the insurance and the property.”

When his family settled, Nguyen moved to Hattiesburg to stay with friends. After thinking his nursing career was over, he began to take finance courses in spring 2006 at Southern Miss’s Hattiesburg campus. During his time in Hattiesburg, Nguyen received an invitation to come back to the School of Nursing. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Nguyen moved back to Biloxi with his family and began nursing courses in the fall.

It has been nearly two years since Nguyen returned to the School of Nursing and he has now earned his bachelor’s degree. In the near future, Nguyen hopes to gain experience in the nursing profession and then attend medical school to become a doctor.

“I’m glad I came back,” said Nguyen. “With a nursing degree, I can go anywhere.”