On a warm and humid day in January, about 40 children, five teachers, and 10 volunteers spill out of a school bus at the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam—one big bundle of anticipation, full of chatter and bounce. The children, who live at a home for orphans and rarely get opportunities like this, are especially excited. 

The busload fans out across the zoo in small groups led by enthusiastic college student guides, searching for answers to “challenge questions” that encourage them to learn about the animals. The trip, envisioned and organized by rising senior Nhi Nguyen—an international Vietnamese student at UMBC—is one of her many endeavors to use her talents to serve others. When the groups reconnect over lunch, they share what they learned. Most groups managed to complete the vast majority of the challenges, and the children’s curiosity and imagination inspired even more questions. Finally, exhausted but happy, the group piles back into the bus and heads home. 

Our “presence matters”

Nguyenhas made it her mission to find ways to improve others’ lives, whether through conducting cancer research in Chuck Bieberich’s lab at UMBC or at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, proposing a winning project to increase the availability of freshwater for agriculture, or supporting Retriever Essentials at UMBC. She also tutors in the Academic Success Center and Chemistry Tutorial Center and serves as the vice president for the Biology Council of Majors. The zoo outing, organized under the auspice of ToTheZoo, a non-profit Nguyen founded, was one of her most ambitious endeavors to date. She hopes to repeat it in the future.

Nguyen’s personal journey has inspired her efforts to serve others: An evolutionary biology class at UMBC helped her overcome depression by opening her eyes to the miracle of every human being. After the class, “I was more thankful to be born as a human with unique value and identity,” she shares, noting the lengthy evolutionary process required to arrive at Homo sapiens and the originality of every human. “I hope people around me will feel the same way I did,” she says, “that their presence matters, and their existence is invaluable.”

Taking children to a zoo—where they could explore the variety of living things found on Earth—was a natural fit. The project satisfied both of Nguyen’s goals: “to make people aware of their wonderful existence through biology knowledge and to inspire people to pursue education.”

A driving force for good

There were plenty of challenges in organizing the event—everything from building trust with the children’s shelters in Vietnam, to recruiting volunteers and fundraising—but Nguyen persevered with the support of mentors at UMBC. Ariel Barbosa, program coordinator for Retriever Essentials, provided guidance for starting up a new organization, grounded in Barbosa’s own experience growing Retriever Essentials at UMBC. Maria Cambraia, assistant director for research and international affairs in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS), also offered support as Nguyen’s mentor through the CNMS Scholars program.

“As an international student—she moved by herself to the U.S. when she was only in high school!—Nhi’s journey has given her a unique perspective on life,” Cambraia shares. “This experience has instilled in her a strong sense of compassion and a genuine desire to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Her ability to empathize with people from all walks of life is truly remarkable and serves as a driving force behind her endless dedication to helping others.”

Making the world brighter

In the future, Nguyen says she would like to organize a similar trip or an in-house science fair for children at The Children’s Home, which is less than two miles from UMBC. As a biochemistry and bioinformatics double major, she is also hoping to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. so that she can continue to contribute to biomedical research and education and inspire the next generation of young people in the sciences. 

As a believer in the butterfly effect, Nguyen says, “I think even my small actions can help light up a person’s day, or I can inspire others to bring positivity into the world.” In the end, her philosophy is simple, and she strives to live it every day: “This world would be brighter if people helped other people a little and appreciated what they have.”

The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) is offering a paid internship focusing on the digitization of our Library collections. The intern will perform scanning, metadata cleanup and enhancement of our digital collection’s resources. This is an opportunity for a student or recent graduate to gain hands-on technical experience in object handling, digital imaging, technical writing, inclusive language, and digital accessibility.

There is a bedroom  available  for student( there are 5 bedrooms in this house,  the roommates are all umbc male student, there is a student move out back his county, so the bedroom need to be filled now.

price ：   $460  /month about （depend on which room you occupancy）

+ utilities share with students use (history record is average $50-60/month/per month)

If interesting, please contact me with your name and your umbc email address:  lidimin@gmail.com

Near UMBC!  PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION BEFORE CONTACTING! Looking for a roommate for a furnished bedroom including linens in a Maiden Choice area private single-family home. The landlord couple resides in the home and would prefer a kind person that respects diversity that are a UMBC/UMB Graduates or Junior/Senior Undergraduates that are non-smokers within the home, non-drug users, pet-free, and a tidy person to share a large open concept newly renovated 4 bedroom and 3.5 bathroom on a dead-end quiet street. If you have a medical support animal; no cats or shedding animals are allowed due to allergies, and you will need your updated documents from your physician and veterinarian. All support animals must remain in the tenant’s bedroom and crated when not home or in their room. You will have to submit proof of renter’s insurance. Other than medical support animals, absolutely no other animals are allowed. We currently have a non-shedding older friendly labradoodle that will not be crated, will not run away if the door is left open, and the sole responsibility of the landlord.

The house is less than 2 miles from the UMBC campus and close to two shopping centers. The UMBC Shuttle and public transportation bus stop is located a short walk the next street over. The UMBC Transit runs buses almost every 25 minutes from the Paradise-Purple Line during the week from 7:25am-10pm (Leeds Avenue and Colchester Road bus stop pickup location is roughly starting around 7:45/8am).  The room for rent is a first-floor bedroom master suite with private bathroom and two closets, dresser with mirror, tall dresser, full bed, two nightstands, vanity desk with stool and a smart TV, bedroom linens and bath towels. You have access to the front covered large porch, an open area kitchen with everything you need to prepare meals, living and dining rooms with a large TV, and laundry room. Wi-Fi with streaming cable services are in all the bedrooms and in the large common area. All utilities are included; water, gas and electric, WiFi and again stream services. We will only rent to one person and at this time prefer a female, since the house will be shared with two female UMBC students. The landlords live in the house too.  We have lease restrictions for overnight guests and shared cleaning responsibilities. There is street parking that we ask our tenants to be respectful to our neighbors and park directly in front of our house only. We are still doing minor renovations to the outside landscaping and foundation boarder.  The bedroom suite is available on August 24th and after. We prefer a 9 month or a month-to-month lease starting August ending the third week of May 2025, that includes Winter and Spring Breaks. We’re a private home and not a campus apartment or dorm, nor an Airbnb. All you need to do is bring your personal belongings and books!  If interested, call 410-999-4668, Monday-Friday, from 6pm to 8pm to discuss and a time to show you the house.