A day after Kate Lanyon joined the team, we warmly welcomed Ngoc Trinh into the fold! Ngoc is a recent graduate in economics and international relations and a self-professed Swiftie, and we're delighted she is kick-starting her career here at Sustineo. Get to know a bit more about Ngoc below...
What drew you to Sustineo?
I was 17 when I decided that Economics and International Relations would be my majors in university and potentially my career pursuit for the rest of my life. At that point, I didn’t have an exact idea of what I wanted to do after graduation. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to do something that can help other people and positively contribute to society. Thankfully, that remains my motivation five years later, yet my perception has changed. Before, I thought that having a good intention alone is enough to make a difference. But my time at the university made me realise that so many policies and initiatives which have the best of intentions still fail, simply because they didn’t invest in careful research. I’m drawn into Sustineo because the work that we’re doing by providing research-based consulting services is absolutely crucial. It also allows me to fulfill my teenage dream of having a meaningful career.
What do you hope to achieve during your time at Sustineo?
Although I studied “the real world” as part of my Economics and International Relations degrees, I only learned about it from what I heard in lectures or read in textbooks. So, I really look forward to seeing, with my own eyes, how all the theories I was taught in school unfold in real life. Also, I hope that I can learn as much as possible from my Sustineo colleagues who are both passionate and skilled.
What has been your biggest learning experience from your career so far?
From my four-week “career”, I’ve learned that whilst you should take what you do seriously, it is also important to have fun. Everyone in the Sustineo team is super friendly and knows how to have fun, despite often being under pressure as consultants. I think having this mentality is much more sustainable in the long run than stressing over every little detail.
Tell us something we don’t know about you.
For 2022, I was in the top 0.5% Taylor Swift listeners on Spotify. And this might be an unpopular opinion, but evermore was her greatest album so far.
Outside of work, what are you passionate about?
I enjoy swimming (even though I’m not a good swimmer), painting, food, and Japanese novels. My favourite author is Haruki Murakami.
What was the last book you read?
I just finished On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. It’s probably the most beautifully written and heart wrenching novel I’ve read in a while.