Meet Victoria Nguyen

We had the good fortune of connecting with Victoria Nguyen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Victoria, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Starting my food Instagram, @northtx.gemz, was a creative outlet for me in college. During the pandemic, I had to move back home during college, which was the worst experience ever. Once I moved back out, I was freshly 21 and wanted to try all the new bars and restaurants now that places were slowly opening after the pandemic. My food Instagram was a way for me to find purpose in trying these new places while in college and focusing on my premedical classes. Focusing on school is always my first priority, but once I finish my school work, I have my food Instagram hobby to look forward to jumping back into, which I believe is important in maintaining that work-life balance.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am only 24 years old and am navigating life in the medical field. Currently, I am applying to medical schools and waiting to hear back from them. This journey has been incredibly difficult, especially with my dad’s declining health with Parkinson’s Disease. However, I have always just tried to focus on school to better my life, and I am so grateful my parents have never pressured me to choose this field, and I chose it on my own. My parents came to America in 1975, seeking refuge from the Vietnam War, which makes me a first-generation Vietnamese American. I wish the younger me warned me how life can change in one second and your entire life can flip over. I have always envisioned a perfect and linear life for myself, but after graduating from college, I was abruptly humbled. I think that being grateful for the journey and not letting challenges dictate my mental health is a huge lesson I have learned. Life happens to everyone and things will always get better again.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love creating itineraries for vacations or days in downtown Dallas! The DFW Metroplex is huge, so we could tackle everything city by city. – Day 1: (Friday) Dallas- Greenville Ave: lunch at rye, happy hour at HG Supply Co. and Leela’s Wine Bar, dinner at Ngon.
– Day 2: (Saturday) Dallas- girls night out: coffee at Weekend Coffee in The Joule, dinner at Carbone, start the night out at Komodo Lounge, then go to Cash Cow, Saaya, and end the night off at Citizen.
– Day 3 (Sunday): Dallas-: brunch at Dolce Riviera, happy hour at Elephant East, dinner at Drake’s Hollywood.
– Day 4: Dallas (Monday)- random go-to’s: lunch and coffee at The Meteor, cute photos at the Virgin Hotel, dinner at The Mexican.
– Day 5: (Tuesday)- lunch at San Martin Bakery (Guatemalan food), games at Activate in Plano, dinner at Delucca’s for all you can eat pizza!
– Day 6: (Wednesday)- Fort Worth day!: lunch at Coco Shrimp, shopping in Montgomery Plaza, walking around downtown Fort Worth, dinner at Maria’s Mexican Kitchen
– Day 7: (Thursday)- Carrollton day!: lunch at Baro Baro Kimbap, walk around to different Korean skincare stores/Hmart/99 Ranch, boba from Moge Tea, dinner at Samaeul Korean BBQ, and dessert at Hui Lau Shan.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom and my boyfriend are my biggest support systems. I would be lying if I said they were never annoyed by me constantly taking pictures of everything we did together, but they supported it since they saw it made me happy. My best friends are always down to come with me as a plus one to influencer collaborations or events. I have always had a great support system when it came to pursuing social media, and I have never felt ridiculed for it.

Website: https://linktr.ee/Victoria.has.no.secret

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northtx.gemz?igsh=YzdheWVyOXh3aGhn&utm_source=qr

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriawins/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@victoria.has.no.secret