When Trisha Nguyen started college in 2020, she thought she was on the right path. Surrounded by classmates preparing for medical school, she imagined herself following their enthusiasm. “They were so passionate about it,” she says. “And I realized… I wasn’t.” Switching to computer science wasn’t part of some carefully laid plan. It was a leap. Trisha had never written a single line of code before declaring her new major. “I decided that kind of on a whim because I liked math,” she says. But coding turned out to be something else entirely.
The challenges weren’t just academic. In her early classes, Trisha often found herself one of just a few women in the room. “Sometimes I’m one of maybe two or three girls in my class,” she says. “We cluster together—it feels safer that way.” Still, she stayed the course. Now in her final year, Trisha has found her footing, both as a student and as a technical course support specialist (TCSS), where she helps students navigate the same material that once felt overwhelming to her.
A Legacy of Determination
Trisha’s willingness to take risks isn’t just about trusting herself—it’s about honoring the sacrifices her family made to give her the opportunities she has today.
Her mother’s story is never far from her mind. At just 23, Trisha’s mother left her home country and arrived in Tacoma, Washington, with no safety net and no financial support. One of her first jobs was on a cucumber farm, where she spent long days harvesting vegetables and earning pay by the pound.
“She told me how much she had to pick just to get through the day,” Trisha says, shaking her head. “It truly brought tears to my eyes. She wasn’t much older than I am now—working in fields all day, just to survive. And here I am rolling out of bed, opening my laptop, and typing for work.”
Her mother’s perseverance taught Trisha to value hard work, but it also gave her a sense of urgency. “My mom did so much with so little,” she says. “So I want to do everything I can with what I’ve been given.”
Trisha also credits role models like Maseeh College Instructor Karla Fant (“she is genuinely the best professor I’ve ever had”),for showing her the importance of resilience and determination. “It’s incredible to think about what she accomplished at a time when women were so underrepresented in the field,” Trisha says. “Her story reminds me that hard work and courage can open doors for others, not just yourself.”
Leading by Example
As a TCS, Trisha spends her days guiding students through the same struggles she once faced: debugging code, tackling programming assignments, and confronting the feeling of not knowing where to start. “Some students need more help than others,” she says. “And I get it—I was one of those students.”
She puts special effort into supporting women in her labs. “I usually gravitate toward helping the girls,” she explains. “Because I know they might hesitate to ask for help, and I don’t want them to feel like they can’t. Sometimes I see myself in them.”
Her favorite part of the job is watching students realize they belong. “There’s not an expectation to know everything,” she says. “We’re all learning together sometimes, and that’s the best part.”
Putting Yourself in the Path of Opportunity
One of the lessons that has carried Trisha through moments of doubt is the idea of taking risks. Her approach to life is guided by a simple mantra: “Leap and the net will appear.” It’s the mantra she’s been guided by through major decisions, from switching majors to stepping into leadership roles.
“Sometimes you just have to take the chance and see where it leads,” Trisha explains. “You can’t be your own biggest hater, and you definitely cannot be the one to reject yourself first.”
But she doesn’t see success as purely about risk—it’s also about positioning yourself for opportunities. “I saw a video once—probably a TikTok—about how you need to put yourself in the position to be lucky,” she explains. “Luck has such a huge role in getting you to where you want to be. But if you’re staying in one spot, waiting for something to happen, it won’t. You need to place yourself somewhere that someone who can help you may be. You never know if they can change your life.”
This perspective carried her through moments of doubt—and one she shares with the students she mentors.
Inspired by Those Who Give Back
Trisha is motivated by Maseeh College instructors like Chris Gilmore, who returned to teaching after a successful industry career with a focus on mentoring students. “People like [him] are giving back,” she says. “In a way, they’re changing the world because they’re building the brains of tomorrow,” transforming technical knowledge into a tool students can use to shape their own futures.
For now, she’s focused on wrapping up her degree and helping her students see that there’s room for everyone to succeed in computer science.