Ngoc is a second-year Ph.D. student in the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders. Outside of research, she enjoys hosting social and cultural events as a master of ceremonies (MC), where she proudly shares her Hanoi accent and passion for connecting people through language and culture. This love for communication first brought her to the BDC lab in 2016, when she volunteered to record Vietnamese research materials for a project based in Hanoi. What began as a hobby soon evolved into a research passion—leading her to become a research assistant in 2017, a full-time research specialist in 2021, and now a Ph.D. student. Ngoc finds great fulfilment in contributing to society through research and community engagement. She is grateful for the opportunity to continue growing within the lab and her doctoral program, participating in projects that create meaningful social impact. As she advances in her studies, Ngoc is excited to explore new research directions and further her contributions to the field and society.