Meet Ly Do (Leila), a Vietnamese international student turned Product Designer in the United States. Looking back on nearly a decade abroad, Ly doesn't define her journey by a degree, a job title, or a destination. Instead, she sees it as a series of unexpected turns, each one teaching her something new about herself.
On deciding to study abroad
Growing up in Vietnam, I always felt curious about the world beyond what was familiar to me.
At the time, I didn't have a clear vision of what my future career would look like. Like many students, I thought I needed to figure everything out before moving forward. But deep down, I was simply curious about people - how they think, how they make decisions, and how different environments shape who we become.
Studying abroad felt like an opportunity to explore those questions. What I didn't know then was that the biggest thing I would discover wasn't a career path... it was myself.
On realizing that uncertainty is part of the journey
One thing that surprised me after moving to the United States was how normal it was for people to change direction.
Back home, I often felt pressure to have a clear plan. But in college, I met students who switched majors, explored completely different interests, and changed their minds more than once.
For the first time, I realized that uncertainty wasn't something to fear. Sometimes, not knowing exactly where you're going is how you find where you're supposed to be.
I think studying abroad brought me somewhere better than I ever imagined. If I had stayed in Vietnam, I probably would have pursued a career in marketing or helped with my family's business. If someone had told me back then that I would eventually work in Product Design within educational technology, I wouldn't have believed them.
Yet every unexpected turn helped me understand myself a little better.
On starting from zero
One of the hardest parts of studying abroad was arriving in a place where I knew almost no one.
I'm naturally introverted, so networking wasn't something that came naturally to me. There wasn't a ready-made network waiting to help me, and there wasn't a clear roadmap showing me what to do next.
At first, that felt intimidating. Over time, however, it forced me to become more proactive. I learned how to reach out to people, find mentors, ask questions, and create opportunities instead of waiting for them.
Looking back, those relationships became one of the most valuable things I gained from studying abroad.
On saying yes to unexpected opportunities
One lesson I've learned is that growth rarely happens inside your comfort zone.
Throughout university and beyond, I tried many different things. I joined communities, participated in projects, explored different industries, and met people from backgrounds very different from my own. At the time, many of those experiences felt unrelated.
Today, I see them differently. Each experience taught me a new skill, a new perspective, or a new way of understanding people. Even the opportunities that didn't lead exactly where I expected helped me become more adaptable and open-minded.
On what studying abroad taught her
If I could meet the version of myself before boarding that flight to the U.S., I think she would be most surprised by how resilient I've become.
Back then, I worried about whether I would adapt to a new environment, whether I would feel lonely, and whether I would be able to build a life so far away from home.
When I started university in 2016, we were asked to write a letter to our future selves. I still remember one sentence I wrote: "Please get involved in everything to experience everything wonderful in college."
I've learned that not every journey needs to follow a straight line. Sometimes the detours become the most meaningful part of the story.
I'm proud not because everything worked out perfectly, but because I kept moving forward when things became difficult.
Studying abroad didn't just help me build a career. It taught me adaptability, resilience, and the confidence that even when I don't know exactly where I'm going, I can trust myself to figure it out.