Mike Nguyen ’95, M.B.A. ’02

For many graduating seniors, the decisions they made as they completed their undergraduate education helped shape the rest of their lives.  Few students, however, were presented with the options that were available to Mike Nguyen ’95, M.B.A. ’02 when he was completing his degree in mathematics, with a minor in business administration. It was either:

1. A) Play professional football or
2. B) Join a company specializing in economic and financial analysis for high-stakes legal cases.

This dichotomy was not the first of Nguyen’s life – in fact, it was business as usual for the young man who caught a touchdown pass in the 1994 Rose Bowl game and was the first Vietnamese-born, non-kicker to play Division I football.

Nguyen and his family fled Vietnam as Saigon fell in 1975. It was a harrowing escape made possible because his father, a naval officer, turned off the power on his ship until his family was able to board.  The Nguyen family eventually made it - by way of the Philippines, Guam and Camp Pendleton - to Oregon, where they had to start their lives over and where more adversity awaited. Nguyen’s father was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident and died after being in a coma for 2 ½ years.  During this ordeal, Nguyen’s mother was injured in a car accident and required back surgery.

Throughout these trying times, the work ethic that had been instilled in Nguyen as part of his Vietnamese heritage never wavered.  His mother, after starting a translation business in Portland, began studying to become a paralegal.  Nguyen, unusually large for a Vietnamese person at 6 feet 1 inch and almost 200 pounds, was a star receiver for his high school football team while posting a 3.9 GPA.

With many options open to him for college, he made one in a series of important decisions – he chose UCLA, as much for its academic reputation as for its football program.  It was through the athletic department that he met someone who would prove instrumental to his future, Professor Don Morrison, Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) and Professor of Statistics at the Anderson School.

As Nguyen explains, “Professor Morrison introduced me to economic consulting and motivated me to pursue it. He was a mentor to a lot of UCLA athletes. He knew that not many of us would turn pro, and even if we did, we would want something to do after our playing days were over. Ever since I was young, I always did my best work while on a team. Professor Morrison taught me that through economic consulting, I could continue to be part of a team by interacting with colleagues and professors every day, so I wasn’t merely crunching numbers on my own.”

Professor Morrison encouraged Nguyen to take one of his courses in order to better serve as a reference for the young man.  “I could have taken any elective in my senior year – I had completed all my requirements – but I took Professor Morrison’s multi-variable calculus class.  Don was a great resource to many athletes, in addition to me.  I really appreciated him guiding me with respect to career options and what might suit me well."

Professor Morrison related an anecdote – unknown to Nguyen until recently - that speaks not only to Nguyen’s academic ability, but to the character shaped by his upbringing:

“I got a call from a woman who was considering Mike for a position at her company.  After conveying my confidence in Mike’s talents, I ended by saying that, if my daughters were single, Mike would be the kind of man I would like them to marry.  About half-an-hour later, Mike called to tell me they had offered him a job.”

It wasn’t quite a done deal, however.  After a successful collegiate career, Nguyen was considering a career in professional football: "There was a little bit of interest from the NFL, but not a lot; I actually had a little bit more interest from the Canadian Football League."

Nguyen knew that his decision could have lifelong ramifications.  "At that time, I was deciding whether or not to pursue (football) or enter the corporate work field… Playing in the CFL is something that didn't pay too well and I would have to move to Canada.  (Playing in) football games is amazing; just being a part of that is incredible.  Practices are tough; it's a physically demanding sport, obviously - tough on your body - and during that whole process I was interviewing and got the job offer from Analysis Group.  I was weighing what to do; take this path through the Canadian Football League with the hope of ultimately making it to the NFL or take this job offer.  Although it was a tough decision to stop playing football, I decided at that point that it was best to start my professional career. Looking back on it now, I have no regrets. That ended up being the best decision."

Indeed, Nguyen has been with Analysis Group ever since, with the exception of the two years he spent earning his M.B.A. at the Anderson School where he learned more about business valuation, securities, and investment management - skills he calls upon daily in his work.

The teamwork honed through many years of playing football translated very well to the corporate world: "It’s something that I still do on a daily basis and that I enjoy - working on a team where you're collaborating, where everybody is sharing ideas and thoughts.  That's kind of how I like to manage the projects that I'm on.  I don't feel like anybody is working for me; we're all sort of working together.  They're working with me on the assignment, even if they're an undergrad fresh out of school or an academic who we're supporting as an expert witness.  It's an environment where everybody is working together to accomplish a common goal and it makes the work more enjoyable for me.”

Reflecting back on his decision-making process, Nguyen offers these recommendations for those facing a tough career decision: “Talk to people, do the research, be more proactive than I was. I was fortunate to have Don as someone I knew whom I could reach out to with questions about my career path."

Sage advice from one who overcame adversity, developed a strong work ethic, accepted help from others and, though tempted to do what many would have expected, had the courage to choose the road less traveled.