By Adriana Betancourt
Meet James Huynh, a marketing major whose journey to NIU began with a powerful question from his brother: “What will you do after high school?”
What started as uncertainty turned into opportunity when our Rockford Promise scholarship opened the doors to NIU. As a first-generation student, he navigated doubts, explored his interests and discovered a passion for marketing through psychology, design and data-driven campaigns.
Through activities like creating marketing strategies in class and leading student organizations such as C.E.O., his time at NIU has been fueled by creativity, hands-on learning and perseverance. His story reflects what it means to take risks, follow curiosity and find purpose through education.
Q: Was there a specific moment or person who convinced you NIU was the right fit?
A: The specific moment when I knew NIU would be a good choice for me was when my brother asked what I would do after high school, and then a scholarship called “Rockford Promise” became available, making NIU an option. My brother was a Huskie, so I asked him how he enjoyed it here, and he said that he learned a lot. In addition, a friend gave me some advice, which was to take a year off from college, and I did. Here I am, almost finishing my undergraduate degree.
Q: What inspired you to study marketing, and what do you enjoy most about it?
A: I always wanted to be in business because my brother received an accountancy degree, and my parents are business owners. I wasn’t sure where to go, so I entered NIU as an undeclared business student. As time went on, I found out that I had an interest in human psychology and graphic design. Then it clicked: Marketing combines almost all of my interests and is a business degree. In my marketing classes, I love running and creating different marketing campaigns, creating graphics and optimizing campaigns based on past historical trends and data.
Q: How do you express creativity through your classes, projects or involvement?
A: I express creativity through the marketing campaigns I create in class and for my business. I love looking at market trends and historical data to create new marketing campaigns. With these campaigns, there are so many factors to look at, whether it’s demographics or buyer behavior, and it’s up to the marketer to combine all of this to create a campaign. I find it so enjoyable to put together pieces to create a campaign to improve and enhance [a company’s] brand image and to improve sales.
Q: What does being a first-generation student mean to you?
A: Being a first-generation student means a lot to me. The privilege of a first-world education is what my parents lacked. To be able to have the privilege to get my high school diploma and soon my bachelor’s degree is something I am so grateful for. My parents sacrificed and took risks to move to another country for me to have a better opportunity, and to get my bachelor’s degree is the least I can do for them.
Q: You were the first in your family to graduate high school. How did that shape your motivation for college?
A: I am the first on my dad’s side of the family to graduate from high school, and being able to do that gave me doubts about whether I could even make it past college. It made me question, “Why was I able to do it, but not anyone else in my family? Did I reach my limit?” After all of these doubts, I remembered what this is all for, and the Rockford Promise scholarship and my brother’s advice eased my mind and empowered me to pursue higher education.
Q: You mentioned your brother helped with the NIU application. Can you share more about that moment?
A: I remember filling out all of my personal information to apply to NIU, and I was kind of nervous because it felt unreal that I had made it this far. With the support of my brother, I was able to finish my application and share my acceptance letter with him and my parents.
Q: What organizations or leadership roles have helped you grow the most at NIU?
A: I used to be in an organization called C.E.O., or Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization, and I was the vice president my sophomore year. During the first half of my junior year, our former president stepped away and I served as president. In addition to this, I also participated in the De La Vega Pitch Competition and the DePaul Pitch Madness competition, and these pitch competitions taught me a lot about crowdfunding and how to operate a business internally and confidently pitch it.
Q: What advice would you give to another first-generation or transfer student starting at NIU?
A: This could be a soapbox of an answer, but if I had to summarize, it would be to take advantage of all the resources the College of Business and NIU give you. Whether it is to participate in organizations, take advantage of on-campus jobs and/or seek financial advising, I would say do it even when scared or [you] feel like you can’t do it, because the only limit is the limit you put on yourself. Find comfort within the uncomfortable.
Q: You’re set to graduate in May 2026. What are your goals after graduation?
I’m set to graduate soon. I was accepted for the Global MBA program here at NIU. Although I’m not sure if I will set out and pursue a graduate degree, it’s always on the table for me. After college, I want to expand my business, JVHRecords, further, and I want to work in either higher education, food or the music industry. Music has played a big part in my life, and expanding to my own record store would be a dream of mine.
