Congratulations to MAPA Student Member, Denny Nguyen on his election to the American Academy of Physician Associates Student Academy as the North Central Region Director!
In his new role, Nguyen will be promoting leadership opportunities within the Student Academy, student member benefits, and involvement with the AAPA’s advocacy efforts. According to the AAPA, Regional Directors are also in charge of, “communicating AAPA news and information, resources, and opportunities with Student Academy Representatives (SARs) within their respective regions.”
While the added responsibilities might seem daunting to most PA-Students, Nguyen welcomes the challenge. As an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota, he also served as the Internal Vice President of the Vietnamese Student Association. Through his work with the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations, he helped coordinate a conference for over 300 student leaders from 11 different states. Nguyen will bring his unique experience of connecting student- leaders from different states to his role as North Central Regional Director.
In addition to being a first-year PA Student at Bethel University, Nguyen is also one of 12 student-leaders serving on the MAPA Student Board of Directors. The Student Board of Directors attends MAPA Board Meetings and votes on policy updates (The MAPA Student Board combined makes up two votes). Student Board Members also attend Student Relations Committee meetings and are involved in coordinating a variety of PA Student initiatives such as the PA Student Summit. Nguyen said he was, “inspired by the amount of work that could be accomplished by such a small yet highly motivated yet highly caffeinated group of students and mentors.”
Nguyen has also participated in several MAPA Pre-PA events at local universities. Most notably, Nguyen is leading MAPA’s first inter-program event: a day of volunteering with the Special Olympics USA Games followed by a MAPA Student Get Together on June 20. Based on his passion for leadership and community building, its no surprise that Nguyen is also a member MAPA’s Leadership & Development Committee.
In his role as North Central Regional director, Nguyen hopes to foster a community of welcoming and supportive student-leaders. He says he envisions, “leaders who refuse to wait. Who encourage each other and recognize that their ability to create an impact as PAs starts now; as students.”
Please join us in congratulating Denny as he takes on this well-deserved leadership role!