DANBURY, CONN. — Like many schoolchildren in the Vietnamese countryside, Nhung Nyugen walked an hour and swam across a river to go to school every day. But unlike many children, Nyugen didn’t drop out after middle school to work in the fields. Instead she moved away from home so that she could attend high school.

“Education has always been a struggle,” said the 33-year-old Nyugen, who lives in Waterbury with her husband and two children. “But the only way I could find a better life was to study.”

This year going to school won’t be such a struggle. Nyugen is this year’s recipient of the President-to-President Scholarship awarded jointly by Western Connecticut State University and Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury. The annual grant pays full tuition costs for an exemplary associate’s degree graduate at NVCC to complete the final two years of studies and earn a bachelor’s degree at WestConn.

Nyugen, who has an associate’s degree in accounting from NVCC, came to the United States in 2001 and spoke not a word of English. She took an ESL class through a local literary program and got a C+ — a grade that disappointed Nyugen so much that she didn’t attempt to learn English again for three years. She said decided to try again with English classes when her children, now 4 and 7, got older. “I could not help my children,” she said.

At the ESL classes through the Literacy Volunteers of Greater Waterbury, Nyugen became proficient in English and was able to attend college. She eventually became a mentor for Vietnamese ESL students at NVCC. Because of her background, she has been able to give lots of encouragement to her peers. “I worked very hard,” she said.

Working toward a bachelor’s degree in accounting at WestConn, Nyugen has already taken three courses and is enrolled as a full-time student for the fall semester. She expects to graduate in May 2009 and then pursue a career as a certified public accountant.

She said WestConn is the right place for her because the faculty has been very supportive and has offered her lots of guidance and has encouraged her to interact more with other students.

Grateful for the opportunity to pursue her educational goals without worrying about the expense, Nyugen said the President-to-President scholarship is like a dream — “I couldn’t sleep one night. I kept thinking ‘Do I deserve this?’” By setting an example for others that hard work really does pay off, Nyugen said she feels that has already started to give back and will always make giving back a part of her life.

For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.