Tram Nguyen’s Post

One of the most redefining summers of my life. I gave up social media, read stacks of books, took my brother to Disneyland, rode the bus around the island of Oahu, biked across the Golden Gate Bridge, applied for a visa to Switzerland, wrote a weekly blog, bought hiking gear, and invested time in my relationships. All the while working with a group of amazing people who are warm and smart and passionate. More importantly, they believe in the mission and values of this place. It was a real delight to work for Southwest Airlines  — thanks for making my little travel dream come true! Now it’s time to slow down.

Month 1 at Southwest Airlines as a Product Analyst MBA Intern ✅ In a month, I: ✔ launched into the world of aviation and truly developed so much empathy for all the airport workers out there (speaking from someone who has had horror flight stories) ✔ spent 3-5 hours every week in the Network Operations Control (NOC) Center with dispatchers, superintendents, crew schedulers, maintenance planners, and network customer planners ✔ flew to Florida and California to see my brother and attend a wedding on the weekends for $0 ✔ found a perfect project: writing a comprehensive user guide for a critical new tech product and directly shaping the future of this product! ✔ organized a team volunteer event at House Of Shine, a self-discovery museum in Grapevine, TX ✔ visited Freedom One, Southwest's most famous aircraft, in the hangar ✔ got to know so many flight attendants and customer service agents in the many airports Southwest Airlines flies to and from Honorable mentions: experiencing amazing international cuisines at the SWA cafeteria, being introduced to literally everyone on my floor, and the daily "have a good day ma'am" from the security guard at the gate on my way in I like you, Southwest Airlines. Thanks for having me. Two more months to go! #CampusReach #SWAIntern

Honored to receive this award. Below is an exerpt from my Lucea Award essay, answering: what kind of leaders does the world need more of, and how do we develop them? Thank you, GWSB Global and Experiential Education! “The world needs more servant leaders. In his book Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek discusses a practice in the United States Marines Corp where great leaders prioritize the well-being of their team members before their own: the most junior members of the team are always fed first, while the most senior members wait until everyone has eaten before they take their turn. This practice symbolizes a mindset and culture that have formed one of the most efficient and effective organizations in the world, where orders are taken, and more importantly, trusted without hesitation. The sacrifices a leader makes for their team remove the internal threats, allowing them to tackle the external threats knowing that they can trust their commander and their teammates to act in their best interest. Organizations have changed much since the creation of the Marines, but the type of leaders who would succeed in leading others has not. Developing these leaders takes modeling. Leaders who listen, empathize, are personally aware, and have integrity are developed by having been led by someone who demonstrates these characteristics, or in some cases, having been led by someone who does not. An aspect of servant leadership that is not discussed frequently in today’s age and outside of the military sector is a sense of duty and responsibility toward the well-being of the greater organization and society. In the face of complex economic, social, and civic issues, a leader must have honesty, integrity, and be a person of their word. For example, a court judge can be an exceptionally kind person, father, and son in his personal life, but if he forgoes a criminal defense for these very characteristics, he does not make a good judge. A servant leader cares for his teammates but also the greater mission that the team is pursuing, inspiring people he leads through transformational leadership, coaching, and personal mentorship.”

Grateful to share that things sometimes do come full-circle. In three months, I'm returning to Texas (!) to join Southwest Airlines as NOC Product Analyst Intern in between my two years of being a Global MBA student at The George Washington University School of Business. Thank you, Steve Rogers, Ezequiel H., and Laura Cotrino for making my recruiting experience incredibly positive. I can't wait to start. I have wanted to work here since I was a freshman in college. So many people have lent a hand in this process of finding a perfect fit for the summer, and I can't tell you how thankful I am for you. Happy to help anyone who also wants to make a switch into product management.

Graduating with a business degree from TCU was one of the best experiences of my life!

This season of life (post college, 2 years working, entering school again) has made me think a lot about living well and known. What defines it? What are the moments that help you realize there are completely different ways to operate as an individual, and then together as a collective, a society, and a community? How common is it that someone in their 20s gets off work/school and immediately has a friend to meet or a family to visit for dinner? How often do families have singles over for dinner? How often do young people have a place to meet that encourage vulnerability and authentic sharing? How much time during the day do we spend sharing about our lives and not just executing them? I am a big fan of people. Everyone knows that. Not just because I believe everyone is made in the image of their Creator, but I also just understand deeply how poor I would be without healthy, functioning, and flourishing relationships in my life. I think it is time that investing in relationships as a young person is normalized. Yes to the fun experiences, career progressions, and all of that. But so much of someone's life-long personal circle will be shaped by how much they invest in it during their 20s. 30s is not the new 20s. They are just not the same (p/s: check out Meg Jay: https://lnkd.in/g9hm2DUH). Don't just be connected. Be known.

This is heartbreaking. Reposting with hope you can also repost!

When I interviewed for my internship at Amazon, I asked my manager then Dan Kasun what he envisioned this internship to be. He told me that he was still building out the intern projects, but essentially, it would be about "building relationships." I was sold on those two words and had the best summer working for Amazon Web Services. Almost three years later, with almost two years of full-time working tenure at AWS, I still thought about those two words daily. That has been what I do for almost three years. I have built relationships and earned trust with countless colleagues, partners, and customers. I've grown in the process and understood more than ever how genuine connections lead to long-lasting impact. A week ago, Amazon had a massive recessional layoff and I lost my job along with treasured colleagues. The support I've received from my AWS and external network has been more than I could imagine. I took a week off, called friends and family, and spent some time thinking about what I want my mid 20s to look like. I wanted to make sure to say thank you to each colleague I've worked with at AWS. In such a big organization, it is easy to feel like connections are strictly work-focused, but my teams have shown me that it is possible to build a community fueled by support, encouragement, and empowerment. Thank you Rod Cyrus, Elysia N., Michael Haines, Lee Morgan, Patrick Murray, Adam Vicks, Amanda Williamson, DaVea Rangel, Britni Burks, MPA, CSM, and many more! I am back this week with much optimism and faith that the good Lord is in control of my life and those who love Him. He has been good in darker times than these. And while I'm looking for new opportunities, I am taking a free course with the Stanford University Graduate School of Business on value-based leadership from May 9-17. Nothing better than realizing I finally have time to do things like this. Do the next right thing. Offer connection and support. Remember that there are things that matter more than others. Take a walk, pet a dog, call a friend, try making sourdough or running - you can do hard things, and I wanted to say again, I appreciate you. #thankful #awslayoffs

This. This is cool. Patagonia fascinates me and this man is an inspiration to all.