Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Nguyen.
Hi Annie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Greetings! I am Annie: an A.A.P.I. Taurus woman, creative, second daughter, born & raised in Birmingham, AL.
How I started professionally was following a conventional path, going to school & finding a lifelong career, until I realized I have to forge my own path. This wasn’t something completely new to me as I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum, no matter what. How I got to where I am today is through faith, hope, learning from the failures, re-framing my mindset & really working hard in addition to re-gaining my confidence as I persevere onward. Another important thing is having a good support system in place; I am beyond grateful & blessed for my loving parents, beloved grandparents, wonderful boyfriend, best friends & most inspiring mentors. Some mentors of mine were also former teachers: Minister Cynthia Joyner, Ms. Kim Harrison, Ms. Koren Lee & Dr. Nelson Gooden Sr.
In my free time, I enjoy thrifting, hula hooping, yoga, pilates, listening to music, volunteering, reading, supporting local & hanging out with my loved ones. I am deeply passionate about Vietnamese coffee+cuisine, creating in addition to appreciating art, learning as much as possible, being outdoors (whether it be via wildlife observation, bird watching, botanizing, trail-running, hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, etc.) & practicing sustainability as I have a very deep love, appreciation for & connection with nature!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been a smooth road. Some struggles along the way included losing my younger sister at an early age then losing my best friends throughout my twenties & learning how to deal with the immense grief of several of my favorite people ever passing away. Another struggle I faced was being ashamed of my heritage oftentimes growing up in a small, Southern town & being the only Vietnamese American girl in my grade level, up until 9-11th grade of high school. Having to witness my parents & family face the hardship(s) of racism as well as discrimination from an early age was difficult since I was not able to fully comprehend why some were so cruel nor was I able to understand such treatment towards the most kindhearted people ever. Luckily, I have gained a deeper appreciation for both of my cultures now that seemed to battle each other back then in terms of not being American enough or Vietnamese enough. I have learned that I am more than enough & how beautiful as well as special it is to be both! I am so appreciative to have a diverse background & to be able to speak both languages.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Aside from being an aspiring artist & creator as well as photographer since middle school, I am a first-generation graduate from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. My diverse professional experiences thus far can all be summed up in short by delivering the most excellent service & experience possible in addition to demonstrating strong communicative skills, both helping to maximize overall workplace efficiency while fostering meaningful connections. I have worked as nail technician for some years (as my parents used to own a few local nail salons), a hostess, a server, a cocktail server, a model, a childcare-giver for a local nonprofit, a dog walker/sitter (as well as cat sitting) & even a ranch hand!
I am currently working as triage/M.A. & could not be more grateful for the professional development I am receiving.
Furthermore, my overall career goal is to help the underserved, underrepresented individuals in our communities by providing personal support to this group ensuring they are receiving adequate access to quality healthcare & treatment, improving quality of life further helping to establish healthier communities for all.
I am most known for my great attitude, strong work ethic & desire to excel. I’m most proud of how I love others & myself. What sets me apart from others is my compassion, commitment & drive to constantly improve by doing better than how I was yesterday!
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory was traveling with my family. We oftentimes frequented Atlanta for the day. Our trip to ATL always consisted of stopping by to visit my sister’s urn at Chua Quang Minh, getting nice haircuts from Hair Capital, getting needed nail supplies from around the area, eating GREAT foods from Phở Bắc Restaurant & going to the Hong Kong Supermarket last to ensure there was plenty of room for all the groceries to take home!
Contact Info:
- Website: I am working on getting a website up for my photography endeavors; for now, you can follow along at: https://www.instagram.com/alabama.annie (& book events I instruct at: https://birminghamphotographygroup.com/ )
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asianoannieo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asianoannie
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anguyen7uab
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@asianoannieo
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/PZ-v48Esle
- Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/asianoannieo
