As a graduate student living in New York City, I understand how important it is to properly manage my finances. Without proper financial management, my living conditions and comfort will be severely impacted along with my grades. Making sure I have enough money for food, rent, and tuition is crucial for my mental health and success as a graduate student. Financial management ensures a stable living and study environment, along with accessibility to food and school supplies. It's important for me to keep a weekly budget of expenses to ensure that I have enough money for bills and a healthy social life. A weekly budget also helps to ensure that all my bills are paid on time so that I am not dependent on student loans. Not only does this help to establish an exceptional credit history, but it also helps to build a stable financial foundation for my future. Ensuring a great credit history will help to increase my rates of eligibility for future mortgage and car loans. Living in the city and attending two graduate programs is expensive, so to help minimize my student loans, I work part-time while in school. I found that time management is crucial as a student, so I plan out each week and wake up early to study. Planning out my study schedule makes it easier for me to stay on top of my grades while also working as a student. I also take out the bare minimum of student loans that I need to help cover the cost of my tuition. In addition, I take at least 20-40 hours each semester to search and apply for scholarships and grants. The more scholarships I apply for the more chances I'll have for acquiring tuition money and thus fewer student loans. To manage my finances well, I separate my income into separate bank accounts. Since I am a student it's difficult to have enough money for many accounts so I just have a savings account, an account for bills, and a checking account. This way I can manage my expenses and separate them accordingly without over-drafting or running short on money. I also categorize and prioritize each bill according to its amount, due date, and level of importance. Every two weeks on payday I pay each one of my bank accounts, paying my "bills" account first, my checking account second, and my savings account last to make sure they all carry the proper amounts. Before paying anything I also make sure to pay my highest priory bills first, which are my rent and credit card bills at the beginning of each month. After paying each bill I then prioritize payment for my secondary bills which I try to pay at least a week before their due dates. For any additional income, I invest a portion of it into stocks while saving the rest when I can. Doing this will keep my debt-to-credit ratio low while saving a portion to invest in my future medical practice and loan repayments.

As a first-generation student, I was intimated by the idea of college. I did not have the proper guidance to navigate through the application and admissions process, so I managed on my own. I started at a two-year community college where I thought I wanted to pursue a degree in nursing. Instead, I transferred to a four-year university to study biomedical science as a pre-medical student. After transferring, I graduated with a bachelor's in biomedical science and withdrew my medical school application. I realized that I wanted to take a different approach toward medicine and healthcare but did not know exactly what I wanted to pursue. I took two years off to work in the beauty industry, then I moved on to work as a junior web developer in the health information systems department of my old university. I wanted more out of life, and I wanted to move somewhere new to figure out my life goals and passion. I decided to apply for two graduate programs, a free graduate program in Finland to pursue a master’s degree in business and entrepreneurship, and a Master of Fine Arts degree at New York University. I was one of the few (out of hundreds) to be chosen to interview for the Finland program but decided to move to NYC for a new and creative opportunity. I thought I wanted to write poetry books and pursue art but after finishing my degree at NYU I still felt lost. I learned that my true passion remained in health, but not in the conventional sense. I wanted to create my own space in the health industry, so I decided to start my own coaching business and supplement line. I started an LLC, trademarked my brand, and participated in various vendor events, festivals, and markets. I loved what I did, and I made so many connections along the way, but I could only go so far without the proper certifications and education. I did not want to be limited, so after careful research, I learned about functional medicine and applied for the master's program at UWS a year later. In addition, I wanted to acquire more practical skills to further treat patients, so I researched the best Chinese medical schools and found the Pacific College of Health and Science. During undergrad, I suffered from a lot of health problems and was finally relieved of them through Chinese medicine. I was hesitant to enter the field then since it was new to me, and I was ultimately intimidated by the 100k cost and 4–6-year commitment. Eventually, I realized that those factors did not matter because I was genuinely happy and clearer about my goals. I am now in my last year at UWS, and I am also approaching my second year at PCHS in January 2023. I currently work at a Chinese medicine clinic, and I am also in clinical rounds at my school. My motivation comes from seeing patients, watching their growth, and watching their health get dramatically improved through nutrition and/or Chinese medicine. I want to teach my community about nutrition and offer accessible holistic healthcare to individuals who are suffering from metabolic diseases and lifestyle-driven chronic diseases. Watching patients heal from chronic pain and symptoms has been the biggest motivator for me and I cannot wait to offer this practice and expand it to more people.

My parents met as Vietnamese refugees in the Philippines in 1990. They immigrated to America in 1991 with my grandmother where they settled in a two-bedroom New York apartment with other refugees. In Vietnam, my mother dropped out of school in the eighth grade, and my father never went to school so in America they had to learn a trade. They went into the beauty industry as most Vietnamese immigrants do, but before that, they worked multiple minimum waged jobs. We survived on food stamps and low-income housing, which taught me the challenges of surviving with little to no money. I was the first in my family to graduate from high school and college, and I will also be the first in my family to earn a master's and doctorate. Coming from a low-income immigrant household taught me the importance of hard work because it was the only way to survive for my parents. This motivated me to excel beyond their struggles because I had the choice to either repeat or learn from those struggles. Breaking generational curses I started my own health coaching and herbal supplement company and even got accepted into three graduate programs! I am currently pursuing a four-year master's degree in Chinese medicine and herbology alongside a two-year master's degree in functional medicine and nutrition. Nutrition and Chinese medicine were two modalities that dramatically turned my health around. Not only did they help to improve my menstrual cycles, but they also helped to improve my digestion and overall health. I want to offer these modalities to the community. Coming from a low-income household and living in food deserts, I learned that healthy food options were not readily accessible to everyone. I grew up on a lot of fast foods, sodas, and processed junk foods which really impacted my health as a child. I found that the majority of BIPOC and low-income communities experience the same and as a consequence, the majority of our communities suffer from chronic disease. To combat this growing epidemic I started my company to teach the importance of nutrition and to support members of our community in their food choices. In the future, I plan to open both a community and private medical practice in Florida to focus on nutrition, functional, and Chinese medicine modalities to provide accessible and holistic health care to individuals in need. I plan to partner with local health chefs to offer and create meal plans for patients. In addition, I also plan to provide free and low-cost bi-monthly classes that focus on nutrition and health topics. I want also to offer affordable solutions for chronic lifestyle diseases and offer ways to combat drug addictions and unhealthy food choices. Using the national acupuncture detoxification association (NADA) protocol, I also plan to offer these services in place of methadone clinics to provide a drugless solution for addiction.

My parents were Vietnamese refugees in the Philippines from 1990 to 1991. My mother dropped out of school in the eighth grade, and my father never received an education. I was the first in my family to graduate from high school and college, and I will also be the first in my family to receive a master's and doctorate. I am a double graduate student working part-time at a New Jersey health clinic. I attend the Pacific College of Health and Science in New York City where I am pursuing a four-year master of science degree in Chinese medicine and herbology. I am also attending the University of Western States for a two-year master of science degree in human nutrition and functional medicine. Nutrition and Chinese medicine were two modalities that dramatically turned my health around. Not only did they help to improve my menstrual cycles, but they also improved my digestion and physical health overall. Before school, I founded and operated an herbal supplement and health coaching company and was a vendor for various markets, stores, and festivals in New York City. Since closing my company to focus on my studies, I plan to reopen a new and improved brand once I am a licensed and practicing Chinese medicine physician and nutrition specialist. I plan to practice in Florida and New York, with my primary practice and company operating from Florida. I also plan to offer telehealth for my future patients to make my services more accessible. Currently, I am working on social media platforms to help build a presence for my future practice and connect with potential patients. Once practicing, I plan to use a portion of my revenue to pay off my monthly student loans. To pay them off quicker, I also plan to double or triple those payments whenever possible. As a student, I am applying for various scholarships and grants alongside any additional work opportunities that will complement my school and work schedule. In addition to my part-time position, I also applied for a work-study position and operate an Etsy shop from home. I plan to use half of the money to cover my tuition, and the other half to cover my living expenses. Next year I plan to become a private tutor for my school, using the money to support my education. In addition to loan consolation and refinancing, I will also plan to search and apply for loan forgiveness options and tuition reimbursement.