Rolling blackouts and friends motivate ECE student to pioneer Purdue path
Rolling blackouts in Vietnam steered Calvin Hoang toward a college degree.
Hoang decided to pursue electrical engineering with the hope of working on creating power grids and systems to aid affected areas, like the small towns his family lived. He heard firsthand how unpredictable blackouts were — and even more, how unpredictable the power returning would be.
Hoang’s friends convinced him that Purdue University was the right step toward that goal. College would give him the freedom to explore careers before entering the workforce, and through experiences like the Co-op Program and study abroad, Hoang could gain relevant work experience — and be paid — before he became a college graduate.
It certainly helped that most of Hoang’s friends went directly from Hamilton Southeastern High School in Indiana to Purdue in West Lafayette for the fall 2024 semester. He came in as a first-generation college student with a full community and with the confidence that he would be a great student, just as he was in high school.
The rigor of balancing engineering and a social life took Hoang by surprise.
After a semester of long nights studying, Hoang panicked the night before a test in MA 26600 (Ordinary Differential Equations). A friend from high school, also a first-year at Purdue, helped relieve some of the pressure he was feeling with a conversation. The discussion opened Hoang’s eyes to the reality of college like never before.
“I looked up to my friend in high school,” Hoang said. “He's a really smart guy, a fun guy, and I saw him as somebody bigger than life, immune to failed tests.”
Learning that his friend had struggled, and failed his fair share of exams, just as Hoang was in that moment, motivated Hoang to reach out to new communities. At a First Generation Engineers (FGE) event, he met more juniors and seniors, but ones who were navigating the college journey for the first time, just like he was. For the first time, Hoang felt truly seen by his peers.
“As first gens, we get to pioneer and show others the ropes,” Hoang, who is concluding his first year of engineering, said. “It's nice to know that you already have people who have done these assignments and labs who can tell you what professors to see and where to go. I’m not walking in knowing nothing.”
Hoang joined the FGE student advisory board in 2024, excited to help first-gen students get connected with resources and peers who understood them. It’s the board’s primary goal to help students be involved and find support, both in academics and in community.
“Each and every one of us has a part in the work that we do,” he said. “I liked making advertisements and promotional materials in high school. Now instead of making the materials, I'm actually shooting the video. It’s a nice, new experience.”
In his college journey, Hoang knows he has a shoulder to lean on when he struggles and cheerleaders to celebrate his accomplishments.
Accomplishments like beginning the transition to major in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in March 2025. It’s a huge step in the path Hoang is pioneering, moving closer to tackling rolling blackouts worldwide.