CNN anchor discusses career choice

Betty Nguyen, co-anchor of “CNN Saturday Morning,” “CNN Sunday Morning,” and the weekend morning edition of “CNN Newsroom,” spoke about college, career and life in general Wednesday.

The lecture, entitled “From Saigon to CNN with Betty Nguyen,” was sponsored by the Asian American Association, and co-sponsored by the Women’s Coordinating Council, Ready for the World and United Residence Halls Council.

Nguyen was the first Vietnamese-American anchor to host a national television news broadcast in the United States, as recognized by the Smithsonian Institute in 2007. She has also received numerous awards and accolades for her influence and achievements in journalism and broadcast, including a Regional Emmy award for Outstanding Noon Newscast in 2003.

Nguyen’s personal story emphasizes the significance of her achievements, primarily because she was fortunate enough to be able to depart from Vietnam with her family in the midst of the incredible turmoil following the Vietnam War.

After Nguyen and her family had settled in Texas, she faced the question that many of us face now: What should I do with my life? To Nguyen, the answer meant doing what her parents wished, which meant becoming a doctor or lawyer.

“These are the professions that many in the Asian community — many of our parents — feel are the ones that bring honor into the family,” Nguyen said.

After giving law a shot, however, Nguyen soon realized that it wasn’t for her.

“I had no passion for it,” Nguyen said. “If you don’t like what you do, and if you’re not interested in it, then why do it?”

Nguyen’s overall message is “do what you love,” a message she lives by every day.

Nguyen described the reason she loves her job through an example of a news story she did about a boy who was losing his sight. The boy’s family was poor, so they could not pay for the necessary surgery, but after Nguyen’s story was released, a doctor who had seen it offered to perform the surgery for free.

“That was the first moment when I really felt like, ‘Wow, the power of the media, the power of doing something that really will affect somebody else’s life,’” Nguyen said. “To me, that’s more than anyone can ever pay you.”

But not all of Nguyen’s stories have such a positive outcome. She observes devastation and destruction first-hand more than most people.

“When you see so much, it hardens you,” Nguyen said. “And I don’t ever want it to harden me to the point that I can’t tell a story through a compassionate eye. Because at the end of the day, I want you to see it for what it is, and you create your own judgment about it.”

Steve Chu, graduate student in law, said he was most interested in the types of stories Nguyen liked doing the most.

“So many times in the news business, we’ll tell you what’s wrong, and then you feel hopeless as the viewer,” Nguyen said. “I like stories where you feel empowered; either one, you can do something about it, or two, you realize that something has been done.”