Participating in the Academic Program of Excellence (APEX) prepared me for college in a way I didn’t expect. The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs provided a select number of students seeking to advance in their college careers free tuition, room and board for a summer semester. In addition to classes like Psychology and English, my cohort took an APEX class that taught about social justice issues and transitioning into college as a diverse student.

When MSA asked me to write this blog post, I didn’t know where to begin. My name is Harry Nguyen and I’m currently a junior studying business management with a minor in marketing. It only took me up until my third year of college to decide what I wanted to study and I think this is a good starting point to share my experience here at Iowa State.

“Isn’t the GRE just another SAT?”

While most were enjoying the long winter break we had last semester I was also enjoying mine but in another country, Dubai! On December 28th, I left from Chicago on my first plane ride ever to Dubai! After a 13-hour flight, I had made it to the start of my adventure. Stepping out into the warm 80-degree weather in the middle of winter was something I would have never thought I would experience but was so happy I did.