Tony Phu: A Cambodian student finding his way in the USA
It’s no secret that Cambodian students lucky enough to have the opportunty to study abroad generally excell in their programs. And after graduation, many of them also them receive solid employment offers based on those academic successes.
One of those students is Tony Phu who currently studies in the USA at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He is doing exceptionally well academically and also holds senior leadership positions in various organisations. Currently in his senior year at the university, he is also busy with an internship at General Mills, a global leader in the packaged food sector. Due to his outstanding performance, Tony has been offered a job at the company to commence following his graduation. And he did all this while navigating the challenges of maintaining a successful student life as a stranger in a strange land.
Our discussion has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: So, let’s hear a little about yourself.
A: I’m originally from Cambodia and I’m currently a senior going into my last year at the UMN-TC’s Carlson School of Management. I was six years old when my father brought a computer home for the first time, and ever since then I’ve always been drawn to technology and the ways in which it can help a community to become more productive. It was with this fascination that I applied to Carlson’s Management Information Systems programme in order to learn the ins and outs of what it means to be at the intersection of Business and Technology. Along the way I picked up Supply Chain and Operations Management, Computer Science, and Business Analytics because I wanted to dive deeper into how technology can make businesses and communities thrive.
Outside of academics, I was a part of the Cambodian Student Association of Minnesota (CSAM) where I helped my fellow Board Members bring Cambodian culture onto the campus for other college students to learn more about Khmer culture. In 2021, I served as the President of a 38-year old student group called the Business Association of Multicultural students (BAM) to help students understand the value of diversity in the workplace and for students to find their place in a smaller community within the greater UMN community. Outside of school I enjoy playing volleyball with family and friends nearby, and playing video games like League of Legends with friends all the way in Singapore and beyond.
Q: When did you immigrate to the US?
A: I moved to the US in 2016 for High School.
Q: How would you describe your early experiences in the US?
A: Early on it was hard to adapt to the environment since I didn’t have my parents with me all the time, but I had a great community of friends and family here in the US who were always there to support me. It was this great community that instilled in me the values of community service and the joy you can get by helping others.
Q: After graduating from the Math and Science Academy (MSA), one of the top secondary schools in the US, you went straight to the UMN-TC which is also a topnotch school. Tell us a little about that experience.
A: I did a lot of extracurricular activities in high school, from National Honor Society, to Debate, and Volleyball I was all over the place. I received awards like the top speaker award in debate competitions and we won a couple of volleyball games as well. I took a lot of advanced placement (AP) classes and did Post-Secondary Enrolment Option (PSEO) in high school as well which allowed me to get college credits while in high school.
Q: You’ve been mostly a straight A student during high school and university. How did you manage that?
A: I didn’t get straight A’s in university; I had a few B’s at this point in time. Since I have so many classes to take in order to fulfill both my majors and both my minors I couldn’t spend a lot of time one each individual class. My worst year was when I took 13 classes (40+ credits regular full load 24-30 credits) in one academic year because there was just so much that I wanted to learn. If someone wanted to get all A’s in university I would recommend just taking one major so that you don’t have to take as many classes in a semester. However, employers are no longer just looking at grades, they are increasingly looking for leadership opportunities outside of academics, so students shouldn’t focus too much on just the letter grades but more on how much they are able to take away from their classes and how they are able to apply them outside of the classroom.
Q: You were offered a number of scholarships throughout your education. How did you achieve that in such a competitive environment?
A: Scholarships are definitely competitive in the US, so you have to do a lot of work to find them, a lot of work to make sure you’re doing well academically and you need to be involved in a lot of activities outside of school. Juggling the three on top of everything else that life has to offer is definitely stressful, but it’s something that is necessary to stand out. Another important factor would be to really know yourself, what your values are and how you want to convey that value to others. A lot of the scholarships I’ve been offered had a lot to do with my views on business being a force for good. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the US government, Carlson Alumni, and businesses who have made scholarships available to students.
Q: General Mills is one of the world’s leading packaged food product companies. Who introduced you to them and how did you manage to gain an internship there?
A: General Mills is a company that holds over 100 different popular brands like Nature Valley, Haagen Dazs, Wanchai Ferry and a whole host of other products that pack the shelves in Supermarkets. One of my mentors in Carlson introduced me to the company, and told me all the great initiatives the company is focused on, including regenerative agriculture, which doesn’t only focus on sustaining the land from which we farm but restoring it for future generations as well.
An interview for any company is really a two-way street. At the same time that the company is assessing a future candidate, I was assessing the company as well. Yes, it can be hard to find an internship but finding the right one that aligns with your values is harder. Growing up my family had instilled in me many values which I hold dear to this day. One of which is to respect the food that farmers laboured hard for, and to respect the soil from which the farmer laboured on. This, alongside General Mills’ people-centred culture, was the reason I chose to intern with them for the summer of 2021.
Q: How was the internship experience at General Mills.
A: It was phenomenal. I was part of the Global Infrastructure team as a Digital and Technology intern working on the Identity Authorization and Access Management project over the summer of 2021. From day one, I was welcomed as part of the team and I was allowed the opportunity to make real change in the company. From helping to install hardware, to configuring file configurations to work with servers, to leading ideation sessions with managers across the globe, it was definitely a summer I learned a lot from.
Q: And now you’ve received an emploment offer from the company to begin post-graduation. What will you be doing for them?
A: The internship period is really a testing period for General Mills to find out if you have what it takes to become a successful employee. Having done my best in the internship I was fortunate to have received an offer to work as a Technology Developer/Analyst at General Mills.
Q: What were the main challenges and obstacles you faced along the way, both at school and in the work place?
A: My biggest obstacle when it came to school and in the workplace would have to be social interactions. In school or in the workplace, my positions forced me to get to know a lot of people very quickly. On the worst days, I would meet 40 new people in a single day and converse at length with all of them only to remember the names of about 10 of them. It’s definitely something that’s tough given the rapid pace of work/life in the US and it’s something I still struggle with to this day. However, one of the things I’m doing now that helps me is to write down names and jot down notes about the people I meet every day. In this way, the next time I meet them it won’t be from nothing, I would know whether to ask how their kids are doing or whether their pets have won any awards.
Q: Racism is a problem most everywhere and is not unknown in America. Have you experienced any while there?
A: I’m fortunate to have had only minor racism experiences. [Things] such as being asked to solve math problems when in group projects, being asked to do anything that had numbers [involved] or being asked if the name of an important figure in Asia is being said correctly (whether or not those figures are from Cambodia). I say I’m fortunate because I understand that others have had it much worse, but from my point of view things are definitely moving in the right direction.
Q: Khmer Nights: What are your plans for the future? Will you continue your employment with General Mills for the foreseeable future?
A: My current plan is to graduate from the University and then start working at General Mills. I recognise that I’m younger and less experienced, so the learning environment that General Mills has fostered among their people will definitely help me to grow further.
Q: Your father plays a prominent role for Cambodia in the US as an adviser and lobbyist. Do you have plans to follow in his footsteps?
A: Ultimately, my goal of furthering my education with regards to business and technology is to have a positive impact on my community. A prominent figure in Supply Chain, Williams Edward Deming, said that higher quality leads to higher productivity which leads to long-term competitive strength, which he then uses to attribute to providing more and more jobs. In much the same way as Deming viewed quality, many people like myself believe that technology will lead to higher productivity which will in the end develop more jobs which will help communities to thrive. If the time comes when I can make more of a difference on my father’s path then that will be the path that I take going forward.
Q: What advice would you give to young Cambodians who want to study, work and succeed abroad, especially in the US?
A: The biggest advice that I can give is to learn the culture of the country that you are headed towards. I know a lot of Asian friends who have taken their own culture’s mindset and used it to approach succeeding in the US. It is very important that you learn to adapt. For example, in Khmer culture we have a tendency of hinting at saying no, we don’t necessarily say no outright a lot of the time. This becomes an issue abroad when people of other cultures interpret the lack of the word “no” as a willingness to do work for a part of the project that you may not want to do, or to stay the later shift, or to meet at a certain time that doesn’t work for you. There are many parts and intricacies to peoples’ cultures, learning them, and understanding as much as you can will help in your interactions down the road.
Time management is also a very important factor in being a student in general. As college students, we are stepping into the world of adulthood for the first time, which means that there is a lot to learn, and a lot more responsibilities that one must shoulder. With that said, everyone’s level of success will depend on their own efforts and how effectively they are able to make use of their time.
Q: Do you have any regrets with your school and career choices?
A: My biggest regret would be that I didn’t take enough risks in school. I should’ve run for more positions, I should’ve taken more difficult classes, I should’ve said hi to more people. I always told myself that there would be a time and a place and at that particular time there was just too much risk of losing, too much risk of it all going bad. These were all risks I took in college that turned out well, and these are all risks that I should’ve taken throughout the rest of my schooling prior to college that I just didn’t take because it was risky.
Q: Does an eventual return to Cambodia lie som
A: Returning back to Cambodia has always been part of the plan. When that would happen will really depend upon how much of a difference I can make back home as opposed to how much more I can grow and make a difference here in the US.
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Author: Adam Reeves
An avid traveler and telecommunications expert, Adam has explored over 25 countries, immersing himself in their cultures to discover the best they offer. His passion for connecting people extends from his professional life to his adventures abroad.
