About
Hi! Thanks for visiting my website! My name is Vivian Duong.
I was born in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), Vietnam, came to the US when I was two, and I mostly lived in the Bay Area since. I obtained my bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of California in Merced. The youngest UC for those who don't know. I was one of the first five graduating class!
The decision of what I want to become or do in life was tough and it still is today. But there was one main idea I wanted to pursue. During high school when I was thinking of careers, I decided I wanted to do something that's meaningful. Something that can is beneficial to the world, to people and society, as well as the environment and Earth we live on. I understood that in this life (without getting too much into existentialism), that we had to work and make money to survive. I want to do something that benefited the world. However, deciding what I wanted to do or the career to achieve that goal was the hardest part.
In 2008, I started college at UC Santa Barbara as an Environmental Studies, B.A. major. After a couple quarters, I knew that this was not right for me. So, I thought, what about engineering? As I was growing up, I loved arts and crafts. I loved building, modeling and fixing things, as well as, breaking things and putting things back to operating order (and I still do!) My dad was my biggest influence. I enjoyed observing him fix, build and renovate things. He did not have a definite job; he is a handyman, electrician, auto repairman, technician, construction contractor, and more. That's when I decided I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer. This decision led me to join the pioneers of UC Merced. I earned my B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2012, and my M.S. degree in 2015.
Since I graduated, I have worked at many companies in different industries and mostly as a mechanical design engineer in the Bay Area/Silicon Valley. Industries and fields include alternative energy, semiconductor, batteries, display technology, product design, automation, food production, and medical. I have a soft spot for startups; that's why you see I have quite a record of jobs since 2016. In 2022, I decided to move to Portland, OR with my now husband and our dog. During this move, I have decided to take a new role as a Product Development Engineer at TE Connectivity, the biggest company I joined in my life (over 80,000 employees worldwide!)
For the fun stuff, my hobbies--I enjoy being active and I love playing Ultimate Frisbee both competitively and for fun. I enjoy craft beer and tasting new brews. I also enjoy playing the guitar, drums, and rhythm music games such as Rock Band. Once in a while, I like to pick up an arts and crafts project. For example, in the past, I learned how to screen print t-shirts. I even got all the equipment and started a mini businessin college, too!
You made it down here! I'm surprised. Feel free to drop a line and say hi.