Fellowships can open doors to incredible opportunities, and Andre Huynh is a prime example of this. From playing professional basketball in Vietnam to excelling in International Relations, Andre’s journey is both inspiring and unique. He has earned prestigious fellowships, including his current role at the Vietnam-Oregon Initiative (VOI), while balancing his academic and athletic ambitions. The VOI Fellowship, established in 2015, promotes collaboration between Vietnam and Oregon through cross-sector partnerships. It aims to strengthen institutional capacity and workforce development through training, education programs, and professional exchanges. Andre’s participation in this fellowship has allowed him to merge his passion for diplomacy with practical experience in international collaboration. Read on to discover how Andre navigates his dual passions, his tips for securing fellowships, and how he’s setting the stage for a career in diplomacy.
Since 2022, you joined the Vietnam Basketball Federation as an international player and traveled back to Vietnam to play in national tournaments. Can you tell us more about this experience?
The journey first began during the Spring of my high school senior year. A coach in Vietnam, whom I had trained with before moving to the United States, called me unexpectedly. He asked if I wanted to represent the city of Da Nang, my hometown, in the U18 National Basketball Tournament. My first thought was that maybe he was joking, but the more I spoke with him, the more I realized he was serious. Long story short, I ended up in Vietnam in the summer of 2022, competed, and helped the team win its first U18 national championship.
In my freshman year of university, I was heavily involved with basketball. I spent most of my free time doing that, being a practice player/student manager for the men’s basketball team while training for basketball tournaments in Vietnam. I was even fortunate enough to travel to Florida with the ORU team when they made it to March Madness.
In the spring of freshman year, my Vietnamese coach asked if I could return and play for them again. With the support of my professors and family, I took the risk and did part of my spring semester online while playing more tournaments in Vietnam. I had to schedule time to study around my workouts and games. It was exhausting, but performing well in those tournaments allowed me to compete in the Vietnam Basketball Association professional league in the summer of 2023. I was also able to maintain my grades.
When sophomore year rolled around, I decided to take a break from basketball. The next tournament in Vietnam wouldn’t be until at least May 2024. During this time, all the energy and muscle memory for basketball training switched to how I could be the most effective networker. I tirelessly searched for internships and slowly built up my resume through every and any opportunity I could get related to International Relations (IR).
By the end of the Fall semester, I had a few IR-related extracurricular activities I could continue to build upon while starting to train for tournaments again. Throughout this time, I thought of giving up on playing multiple times because I didn’t think balancing school with overseas basketball was possible. I proved myself wrong and am glad that I did not give up.
It has truly been a remarkable journey that I wouldn’t trade anything for. It has pushed my boundaries in every physical and intellectual way. Additionally, I recognized that I could use these basketball adventures to support my career aspirations. Sports diplomacy is a great way to foster people-to-people relations, which the U.S. Department of State is underutilizing, and I would love to assist with this in the future.
Currently, you are studying International Relations. What inspired you to pursue this?
Throughout high school, besides my studies, I was completely committed to basketball, playing on the varsity and travel teams. Naturally, I thought I would pursue something like Kinesiology or Sports Psychology. When I came across the State Department’s Foreign Service Dimensions, it completely changed my mind. That list articulated what I had been intentionally working on personally and instantly drew my attention. Reading more about what diplomats do further solidified my desire to pursue this profession.
I first decided to major in Political Science because that’s what I thought was best for it. I didn’t even know that international relations was a major field at the time. It wasn’t until I met my advisor at Oral Roberts University that she steered me toward it. My advisor is the most internationally-minded person I know and has significantly expanded my understanding of the International Relations field. I would say that building a personal relationship with your advisor is vital to making the most out of your college experience and preparing you for the future.
Recently, you became a Fellow at the Vietnam Oregon Initiative Network. Can you tell us about this opportunity?
The mission of the Vietnam-Oregon Initiative is to foster and strengthen partnerships and exchanges through education, trade, and security. The emphasis has been on the first two pillars, specifically on expanding trade partnerships that will benefit women and youth in resourcing entrepreneurship and education. As a fellow, I support a pitch competition for the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs with the US Embassy in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. This competition aims to sponsor winners to attend a trade event in Oregon where they can showcase their business products and services.
I support gathering information and writing for youth to assist the Vietnam Oregon Initiative Network STEAM exchange development. I have done so by volunteering at MESA Day 2024 and engaging with private sector leaders to discuss media platforms for youth and the development of a Vietnamese American Community Center. Additionally, I attended a meeting with a Vietnamese solar company to discuss sustainability initiatives in Da Nang and Oregon.
This fellowship has granted me incredible opportunities working under the leadership of Julia Babcock, the founder of New Rose City Consult and the driver of the Vietnam-Oregon Initiative. It has greatly enriched my understanding of Oregon’s inbound and outbound trade missions to strengthen the partnership and produce bilateral cooperation.
You recently finished your policy internship at the American Legislative Exchange Council. Can you give some insights into your role there?
I was a Federalism and International Relations intern at the American Legislative Exchange Council. In this role, I assisted the task force director with editing and synopsizing model policies related to these two subjects. I also managed the weekly newsletter sent to over 200 state legislators and private sector members. On the side, my director allowed me to do independent research on Russia’s disinformation campaign in the U.S. and beyond. I organized and scheduled meetings with a government official to assist with this research.
Moreover, I attended nearly 30 think tank briefings in the span of 8 weeks and took notes on them. I am still awestruck that I could participate in these panel discussion events with top decision-makers for free. The highlight of the internship was assisting the director during the organization’s annual meeting. Hundreds of state legislature, think tank, and private sector members convened to discuss model policies and networked with each other. I assisted representatives of the task force directly, spoke with a foreign state legislature, and saw how model policies were passed during the meetings.
What did you spend your time doing after the internship?
Just this past month, I returned to Vietnam to compete in the U20 National Basketball Tournament. We won the championship, and it was a remarkable experience. My school advisor and professors were supportive, allowing me to do classwork online to maintain my grades. Reflecting on the experience, I truly appreciate the opportunities I’ve had because when does one get a chance to play sports overseas while they’re in the middle of a school semester?
This trip was even more meaningful than previous travels. I met over 200 kids studying at Fisher’s SuperKids Academy to encourage and teach them how to shoot a basketball. It was awesome seeing shy kids walking up to attempt a shot, make it, and seconds later burst into smiles with a visual difference in confidence when their peers cheered for them. A few days later, I was invited to speak at a study abroad workshop to over 100 parents and students of the academy.
Speaking in Vietnamese, I highlighted the importance of learning English and embracing the opportunity to study in the United States if they had the chance to do so. With my interest in sports diplomacy, I also shared how sports can be an incredible tool to immerse yourself in a new culture. When I first arrived in the United States, basketball allowed me to make friends immediately and helped me understand the slang and other cultural nuances. I wouldn’t have developed this new social competence as quickly as I had had it not been for my countless workouts and interactions with my high school basketball team. Sports have the power to foster camaraderie and a sense of community that I believe few things can compare to.
So now, what are the next steps for you?
Everything I am doing now is to best position myself to become an Economic Foreign Service Officer in the future. I got accepted into the Department of State internship for Spring 2024, so I am excited about that! This experience will surely give me more clarity about what I hope to do in the future. Since I still have roughly 3 semesters left in undergrad, my current goal is to do a fellowship/ internship every semester. After this summer internship, I became more interested in trade policy and econometrics. I realized how vital economic incentives are in how countries interact with each other and how they affect diplomacy. As a result, I hope to find another internship relating to trade policy to gain a deeper understanding of it before my senior year ends.
After graduating, I would love to work at a think tank or an NGO in Washington, D.C. If that is not the case, I would love to work at a major sports organization, supporting them with developing commercial partnerships and communications. I hope to get 1-2 years of work experience before pursuing graduate school. It can be highly stressful at times, and nothing I plan to do in the future is a guarantee, but verses such as Jeremiah 10:23 help put things into perspective whenever I feel that way. For me, it is my faith that strengthens me and a personal reminder that my steps are guided by the Lord when I trust in Him.
And finally, is there any advice, specific to the fellowships or general, that you can share with our audience?
I would say become more proactive at utilizing the resources you currently have. Attend those networking dinners, start a club at your school, or volunteer at a local church. Doing these things builds your experience and character and expands your connections, which you can lean on for advice and other opportunities. You may sometimes feel discouraged, but pick yourself back up and don’t give up. Don’t view what you’re doing solely for how it will benefit you because you will burn yourself out and possibly burn those connections.
Build genuine relationships and focus on what you can learn from those experiences; that way, you can enjoy the process and do it consistently. Additionally, it will give you personal growth stories you can use for cover letters and interviews. Eventually, this foundation will make you a stronger candidate for more difficult fellowships and internships.
Search on LinkedIn for the people doing what you hope to do and reach out to them. This was actually how I got my Vietnam-Oregon Initiative Network Fellowship. While applying for another fellowship, I connected with a former fellow and asked if we could schedule a Zoom call. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting him to reply, let alone agree to have a video chat with me, but I did it anyway, and he responded. So get out of your comfort zone and just send that message!
When he learned that I lived in Oregon, he connected me with his former mentor, who happened to live there as well. Eventually, I connected with her in person and was later offered the fellowship. I think what will make you stand out is to think about how you can add value to the professional connections you’ve made. Show yourself to be the most trustworthy, responsible, and hard-working person they know.
By doing all these things, you will eventually have a long list of connections you’ve made. Build an Excel sheet inserting all their business card information so you won’t forget why you connected with them and reconnect with them periodically.
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