The Pitt-Greensburg Alumni Association (PGAA) will present its Alumna of Distinction award to Huong Vo ’14, RN, BSN, at the PGAA Alumni Celebration Dinner to be held Saturday, Oct. 2, at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Registration for the dinner, part of the Blue & Gold Celebration 2021, is available here.
The PGAA Alumnus of Distinction Award acknowledges excellence among alumni of Pitt-Greensburg. Candidates are evaluated on their outstanding level of professional achievement, service to the community, service to the University of Pittsburgh, special recognition or honors, and any other special efforts or success. It is the highest honor given by the PGAA to an individual alumnus/alumna annually.
Service to others is part of nearly everything that Vo does. Whether it’s volunteering at vaccine clinics, working with patients, or volunteering with the Pitt-Greensburg Alumni Association, she is always finding ways to help others.
“I volunteer to give back to the community and to be connected to the community,” explained Vo. “Volunteering increases my self-confidence and helps me to understand different people and their perspectives.” She added, “I think my philosophy of life is kindness, to be kind. The world would be such a happy place if we were kind to each other and others were kind to us.”
Vo transferred to Pitt-Greensburg in 2011 and has stayed active and involved on campus ever since. The recipient of the 2020 PGAA Award for Volunteer Excellence, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences. As a student, her contributions to the campus and community were recognized with the 2013 John Ridilla Leadership Award Scholarship and the 2014 PGAA Award for Community Service.
While at Pitt-Greensburg, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in medicine, saying, “I chose nursing because of the nurse-to-patient relationship. I really wanted to be their advocate. Plus, there are so many opportunities in nursing that will allow me to explore and grow in my career.”
After graduation, Vo worked at MedExpress Urgent Care as a medical assistant, earned an EMT license, and enrolled in nursing school. She graduated from the Shadyside School of Nursing in 2019 and is currently working at UPMC Urgent Care, while moonlighting at UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics Express Care. Her career also includes having worked as a registered nurse at UPMC East in the Stepdown Unit where she was recognized with the hospital’s first-ever Daisy Award (2020), an award that recognizes nurses who provide extraordinary compassionate care. In addition to working full-time, Vo is pursuing a master’s degree through Carlow University’s nurse practitioner program.
This past spring, Vo would frequently be on campus, volunteering to give COVID-19 vaccines during nine of the 11 on-campus clinics held in collaboration with Mainline Pharmacy.
Vo is currently serving as vice president of the PGAA and is a member of the Events Committee. While chair of the Events Committee last year, Vo and her committee worked to transition the PGAA from in-person events to virtual when COVID-19 health guidelines prevented on-campus gatherings. She seeks to bring Pitt-Greensburg alumni together from across the nation and the globe, while advocating for events to be held throughout the region to engage Pitt-Greensburg’s large alumni body in the area. When at an in-person PGAA event, Vo is frequently found, cell phone in hand, sharing video of the event for a Facebook Live.
“I continued to be involved with PGAA and Pitt-Greensburg because they played a big role in who I am today,” said Vo. “I am proud to be a Pitt-Greensburg alumna and I want to show it by giving back.”
As a student, Vo was active with the Student Government Association (SGA), serving as secretary, Campus Spirit and Community Involvement chair, and Senate President. The SGA plays an important role in campus life as a student group that seeks to make improvements to the campus, plans and organizes large and small events to engage the campus, and oversees all of the clubs and organizations on campus.
A member of the Pitt-Greensburg Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity (HFH), Vo served as secretary and fundraising chair. She attended and helped in facilitating three HFH Alternative Spring Break trips, volunteered for the Central Westmoreland Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and attended the 2013 Habitat for Humanity Leadership Conference in Washington, DC.
Vo also served as secretary of the Academic Village Senate where she collaborated in creating programs and events and served as an International Student Mentor.
“I am extremely honored to receive the PGAA Alumnus of Distinction Award,” said Vo. “There are so many alumni who are deserving of this award for who they are and what they do. Again, I am honored that other PGAA alumni think that of me. I am grateful for the opportunity to be involved with the campus. I am always excited to share, plan, and attend the various events. Being involved is a way for me to give back to the campus that has taught and provided me with so much.”
Founded in 1963, the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg is a publicly assisted, four-year, liberal arts college in southwestern Pennsylvania. Pitt-Greensburg offers 31 baccalaureate degree programs, including new majors in data analytics, nursing, healthcare management, Public Policy, and Education, as well as 27 minors and four certificate programs. With nearly 1,500 students, more than 10,000 alumni, and faculty and staff numbering 260, Pitt-Greensburg provides a vibrant, diverse community that is a dynamic model of a 21st-century liberal-arts education. As part of the University of Pittsburgh system, Pitt-Greensburg offers the resources of a world-renowned university combined with the individualized and immersive experiences of a small liberal arts college. Creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit permeate the campus and extend into its many collaborative projects with the Westmoreland County community. Nestled in Pennsylvania’s beautiful Laurel Highlands, the campus is less than an hour’s drive from Pittsburgh.