SC Connecticut News

John Nguyen began his journey at Yale University with the ambition of becoming a neurosurgeon. However, he discovered an unexpected passion for writing that altered his academic trajectory. Initially, Nguyen had concentrated on STEM subjects during his time at Harding Senior High School in St. Paul, Minnesota. However, after enrolling in several English classes at Yale, he found a newfound love for reading and writing.

Despite having limited exposure to literary studies previously, Nguyen was supported by numerous professors who encouraged his exploration into this new field. He decided to major in English and developed such an affinity for poetry that he began writing poems independently.

Nguyen recalls feeling self-conscious due to his lack of experience with the arts during high school. Nevertheless, he immersed himself in studying poetry and was selected as one of six students to study under Nobel Prize-winning poet Louise Glück in 2022, a year before her death.

Glück's rigorous vision of poetry challenged Nguyen to separate himself from his work to improve its quality. He stated that she was not hesitant to critique if a poem did not do justice to its content.

Nguyen represented Yale in the annual Connecticut Poetry Circuit last year. This statewide competition selects four or five honorees from each participating college who then tour the state in spring.

As a first-generation college student from a Vietnamese American family, many of Nguyen's poems center around his mother who works at a medical device factory and battled long COVID during his sophomore year at Yale.

In addition to poetry, Nguyen has also ventured into non-fiction writing, publishing pieces in the Yale Daily News and serving as an editor at The New Journal. Throughout this journey, he was guided by three key mentors: Sarah Stillman, Anne Fadiman, and Natalie Diaz from the English Department within Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

After graduation, Nguyen has secured a summer internship as a feature writer at the Star Tribune. Additionally, he received recognition from the Frederick Mortimer Clapp Fellowship and was selected as a Fulbright Scholar. This summer, he will travel to Can Tho, Vietnam, to teach English.

Nguyen plans to write a memoir about his family's displacement from Vietnam and their journey to the U.S., connecting past with present. He has conducted oral history interviews with his grandparents in Seattle and the Twin Cities as part of his research for this project. He acknowledges that it could take years before he completes this ambitious endeavor.

"Writing has shown me that you definitely can't rush in," Nguyen said. "The humanities and the arts have taught me to be patient. The sentences you need will arrive on their own."