Alumnus testimonial
Alumni Trang Anh Nguyen - MSc Food Technology
“I did both my bachelor’s and master’s in Food Technology at Wageningen University. For my master’s I did the specialisation Sustainable Food Process Engineering. During my studies, I was an active member of the student association SSR-W and the study association Nicolas Appert. I joined various committees and got to know many other students.”
The skills and knowledge I have learned in Wageningen have made a big difference in how I support students.
“The biggest highlight of my studies was my Erasmus Exchange in Switzerland. Studying at ETH Zurich was an incredible academic experience, but what made it truly unforgettable were the amazing hikes and travels I got to enjoy in my free time. I definitely recommend others to go on exchange, as it really broadens your horizon.
During my master’s, I also served as a board member of Enactus Wageningen, an organisation that helps students with setting up their social enterprises. I organised many events that helped students to develop themselves professionally while making a positive impact on society.
I did my master’s thesis at Food Process Engineering; it was an educational thesis where I explored strategies to teach decision making to students. I was able to implement some of my changes in “the course Food Production and Preservation”. It was cool to see the amount of impact that you can have with such changes.
For my internship, I did a sustainability analysis at the Time Travelling Milkman, which is a start-up in Wageningen. It was nice to be able to combine a non-technical thesis with a very technical internship. This flexibility in my study program was really appreciated.”
Where are you currently working?
“I am currently working as a teacher at Wageningen University at the Food Quality and Design chair group. There I do a variety of things, such as coordinating courses, supervising thesis students and designing education material. It’s really a lot of different things I work on. The great thing about working with students is that you see them develop themselves and that really excites me. I’m very happy to be part of this process.”
Could you tell us something about your daily activities in your job?
“My work is very varied and every day is different from the other. One day I could be standing in front of the class and another day I could have a lots of meetings with students or meetings to discuss education. For the most part I can plan my own day, which is nice. I like that it’s varied, and every day is not the same.”
What are your future goals?
“I just received green light for doing my PhD. It will be about using generative artificial intelligence tools in education. It is great that I can combine this with my current job. Next to that, I am continually working on becoming a better lecturer and teacher. In the far future, I hope to become a teacher that can inspire students to develop themselves further.”
How has studying in Wageningen helped you excel in your job?
“The skills and knowledge I have learned in Wageningen have made a big difference in how I support students. I can now better understand how they learn, spot what they might be missing, and even reflect on the gaps I had when I was in their place.
Although I am not working in the food processing field, I can still use what I’ve learned to help students design products, improve production processes, and think about product quality as a whole. For example, I teach in courses about product and process design and case studies on quality. These courses require the integration of different food domains areas and it is rewarding to help students see how everything connects.
Lastly, I mentioned having done the committees and board year. That taught me how to reach out to people more easily, but also how to just write an e-mail. So yeah, those extra activities outside the study really helped me to stay in touch and reach out to people.”