I had a lovely conversation with Grace Nguyen, Vice President of Finance for SGA and on the board of CAPA as a student liaison. My question for her was: How do you manage the dual MPH, PA program and stay active in extracurricular activities?

According to Grace sticking to a schedule is essential. She manages her big priorities first.   Her first semester in the program she just worked and worked and did not do anything fun. She was miserable.

Now she schedules something fun for Friday or Saturday night. During the week she will take an hour to have dinner, relax and watch TV. She reenergizes and is then able to resume studying.

Grace decided to run for Vice President of Finance because she felt that there was not a lot of P. A. representation. Her hope is that students from the MPH, nursing, and GSOE will become more involved in school activities. She wants Touro to know that others want to be involved. That they want to be active.

She comes to her position with experience in finance. She worked on the budget as a volunteer in a non-profit organization. Nonetheless, she says it is one of the toughest positions on campus, “If I can do it and I’m getting a dual degree, anyone can do it.”

Her commitment to GSA comes from a feeling of gratitude and care, “It feels like you’re helping the community. It makes my Touro experience well rounded. I’m very grateful that Touro has given me the opportunity to be here. I just hope that being in SGA and on the student board, I’ve given back.”