Undergraduate wins Student of the Year Scholarship from the Institute of Real Estate Management
Dan Nguyen of Fairfax, Virginia, a senior University Honors student pursuing a dual bachelor’s degree in property management and real estate, received the 2014 Student of the Year scholarship from the Institute of Real Estate Management and the IREM Foundation.
The scholarship recognizes an undergraduate student who has shown academic achievement and an interest in pursuing a career in real estate management. Nguyen will also receive an all expenses paid trip to IREM’s 2014 Fall Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, Oct. 14-18 where she will be formally recognized as the scholarship recipient.
In her personal statement submitted for the scholarship, Nguyen wrote her career goal is to “pursue a career in asset management which will allow me to identify ways to improve the financial performance of properties and add value to them.” She expressed her good fortune at “receiving so much support from the property management and real estate programs at my university, as well as several real estate professionals and organizations such as IREM and National Apartment Association.”
In a letter of recommendation in support of Nguyen, Rosemary Goss, Property Management Advisory Board Professor and associate director of Virginia Tech’s Program in Real Estate, wrote “Dan has now been in at least five property management classes that I teach. When grading her essay questions I am always amazed at how she synthesizes the material and how she connects her class work to the real world even though she only has been a part of the U.S. culture for five years.”
Eight additional referrals and endorsements for Nguyen were submitted by IREM members and industry practitioners.
“Dan has shown a sincere desire to achieve great heights in real estate management," wrote IREM President-elect Lori Burger. "When I met her she listened, asked great questions, and will be a rising star.”
Nguyen is a student member of IREM and the National Apartment Association. She is also president of the Vietnamese Community Organization at Virginia Tech and has held internships with Beacon Communities LLC, and KETTLER Management. She has received scholarships from the Virginia Housing Development Authority, CREW Network Foundation, Virginia Tech’s University Honors, and HHHunt.
The property management program in the Department of Apparel, Housing and Resource Management focuses on management, operations, marketing, development, and acquisition of luxury and affordable apartment developments, senior living communities, mixed-use, and office and retail properties. Graduates are in demand for their knowledge and skills that address the complexities of managing multimillion-dollar investments.
Virginia Tech’s Program in Real Estate offers a comprehensive interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree in real estate that builds on existing strengths in six of Virginia Tech's colleges — the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Pamplin College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, and College of Natural Resources and Environment.
The program’s experiential courses integrate disciplines such as finance, law, construction, and property management by examining commercial, residential, retail, and mixed-use property from initial project conceptualization through sale or management. Graduates of the program are prepared to enter the real estate industry and make immediate professional contributions.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
