San Diego Society of Women Engineers<\/a>, has been guided by an unwavering mission: helping others see what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\nThat mission reaches far beyond the clinic. Through mentorship, outreach and community partnerships, Nguyen is creating pathways for the next generation to see themselves represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers. Her story reflects a growing movement of women leaders redefining what it means to belong in those fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cI solve problems just like an engineer,\u201d Nguyen said of her clinical work. \u201cPatients come in with a chief complaint, and I diagnose, treat and improve people\u2019s vision and overall eye health. It\u2019s a perfect fusion of science, technology and human connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her unexpected path towards STEM advocacy began at home with a Mindstorms robot. When her daughter received the robotics kit as a holiday gift, it sat unopened for months. Once she built and programmed the robot, however, everything changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt ignited her desire to do robotics,\u201d Nguyen recalled. Eager to support her daughter\u2019s interests, Nguyen discovered SWENext, the youth arm of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). \u201cI\u2019m not an engineer, but I wanted to find role models for her,\u201d she said. That search led her to the Society of Women Engineers and a new purpose.<\/p>\n
Since then, Nguyen has become a driving force behind the San Diego chapter\u2019s outreach efforts, establishing SWENext clubs globally and mentoring students across the United States and abroad. Through SWE\u2019s mentorship programs, students conduct projects that connect classroom learning with industry experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cMentorship helps young people build confidence,\u201d she explained, \u201cbut what\u2019s truly transformative is sponsorship. A great mentor listens and guides, but a great sponsor advocates when the mentee is not in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nguyen often serves as both \u2014 writing recommendation letters, connecting them with professionals and nominating them for awards. Her dedication is deeply personal. As an Asian American immigrant and refugee who fled Vietnam during the fall of Saigon, she understands what it feels like to be underrepresented in leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat absence fueled my commitment to create those spaces for others,\u201d she said. \u201cYour lived experience, your culture and your perspective are powerful assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
She has watched the impact of her mentorship extend exponentially. Her daughters, both now in college, mentor younger students themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I do as a mentor has a ripple effect,\u201d she said. \u201cThe mentees I\u2019m mentoring are giving back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nguyen\u2019s outreach has helped launch student clubs in countries like Nepal, Indonesia and Azerbaijan through conversations at international robotics competitions and social media outreach. She also acknowledges the challenges of global access, including time zones.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One student from Azerbaijan woke up at 6 a.m. to moderate a session. \u201cBut in doing so, she got to build confidence and practice public speaking. That\u2019s impact,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
As president, Nguyen plans to expand the Society of Women Engineers\u2019 presence at community colleges across San Diego, build partnerships with groups like the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Latinas in Tech, and ensure every member has a chance to thrive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bottom line is, you belong in STEM, even if you don\u2019t always see yourself reflected in the room. It doesn\u2019t matter your background or your path,\u201d she expressed.<\/p>\n
With nearly 1,000 volunteer hours logged last year, burnout is always possible. But for Nguyen, it\u2019s not a deterrent.<\/p>\n
\u201cBurnout happens when you\u2019re deeply committed. It\u2019s a sign the work matters,\u201d she said. She doesn\u2019t believe in a rigid concept of work-life balance. \u201cIt\u2019s not just balance; it\u2019s harmony,\u201d she explains. \u201cIf you do what you love, it comes naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n
To young women in STEM, Nguyen offers a powerful piece of advice: \u201cDon\u2019t wait for someone to hand you a seat at the table. Build your own seat. Or better yet, build your own table.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether she\u2019s organizing professional panels at universities, encouraging students to promote STEM at local boba shops, or mentoring aspiring engineers across the globe, Tracy Nguyen is driven by a simple principle: \u201cWe lift each other up.\u201d Under her leadership, the San Diego Society of Women Engineers is set to become a model of inclusion, collaboration and joyful impact, one student, one club, one table at a time.<\/p>\n
Xuan is an upcoming freshman at the University of Pennsylvania.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s note: This essay was written for the 2025 API Summer Journalism Internship program, hosted by the Alliance…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415185,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[964,975,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-415184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-commentary","tag-opinion","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}