Georgia Gwinnett College student makes school history with 3 bachelor's degrees
Georgia Gwinnett College student earns 3 degrees
KimLinh Ngo became the first student in Georgia Gwinnett College's history to graduate with three different degrees at the same time. The super student spoke with FOX 5 Atlanta's Kim Leoffler about being a first-generation American and how she buckled down to earn her degrees.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - When one of Georgia Gwinnett College's new graduates walked across the stage over the weekend, she made history for the school with her academic achievement.
KimLinh Ngo became the school's first student to graduate with three bachelor's degrees - all on the same day.
"It feels incredible but also overwhelming," Ngo told FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Kim Leoffler after the ceremony.
Ngo started at college as a pre-nursing student but felt called in another direction. A little bit of guidance from her advisor helped her figure out her path.
"She asked me if there was a course I had really enjoyed during my time at GGC, and the class that immediately came to mind was Introduction to Programming. I found programming to be both challenging and exciting, and it was a field that sparked my curiosity in a way that other courses hadn’t," Ngo said.
Ngo decided to continue working on her bachelor's degree in health science while also adding degrees in business administration and management information systems.
She did it all while working at two restaurants to pay for her classes.
KimLinh Ngo (Georgia Gwinnett College)
Ngo said her parents' sacrifices helped inspire her to push to make the most of her formal education. They emigrated from Vietnam to the United States in the early 1990s, eventually settling in Duluth, Georgia.
"Throughout my life, I’ve seen them work tirelessly, day and night, to provide for my siblings and me. Both of them work blue-collar jobs at the same company, waking up at 3 a.m. Monday through Friday and coming home around 4 p.m. After work, they sometimes take on landscaping jobs for extra income. On weekends, they’re up at 8 a.m. and work until sundown doing more landscaping," Ngo said. "Witnessing their hard work to pay the bills, support our family, and save for emergencies has been a huge motivation for me. It’s made me determined to work harder so one day I can retire them and ease their burdens."
After graduating, Ngo hopes to find a position in either data analysis or software engineering.