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Ho Ngoc Linh, ’16, followed in her parents’ footsteps in choosing a career, but a Master of Jurisprudence from IU McKinney Law has helped her navigate a more international path in her native Vietnam, the U.S. and, now, Canada.

“I was fortunate to grow up [in Vietnam] in a political family, with both my parents being federal policy makers,” Linh says. “Growing up with discussions on policy formulation, implementation and doing good things for the public, I’ve always wanted to continue the family’s tradition and work in the law and policy arena.”

That path led Ho to Foreign Trade University, a prestigious university in Vietnam that offers a specialized degree program in economics, finance and trade. She spent five years at the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Vietnam as the lead coordinator of the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, where she was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the agreement and ensuring Vietnam's compliance with its trade-in-good commitments in various multilateral trade regimes. Before that, Linh served as a senior policy analyst at a U.S. consulting firm, where she provided policy analysis and advocacy support to Fortune 500 clients in the ICT and energy sectors.

“I realized that in order for any professional to succeed in his or her career, one has to know how to read, understand and comply with the laws,” Linh says. “This is true in finance, corporate governance, real estate, and also in trade policies, my area of expertise, and that was my motivation to apply to IU McKinney’s MJ program, so that I could learn how to think like a lawyer, while not exactly being one.”

McKinney Law allowed her to develop technical skills to navigate complicated regulations, understand regulations’ implementation approaches through case studies, as well as solid legal knowledge.

“Among all of the things I’ve learned and treasured, the ability to do research, read, analyze and write critically is the most useful skill I learned,” she says. “It helped me to write policy recommendations and draft well-rounded Vietnamese policies to help shape a better business environment in Vietnam. My English legal writing and speaking skills improved significantly, which contributed to the success of my work in the World Trade Organization on behalf of Vietnam.”

Faculty and her classmates made an impact, too.

“The law school professors were very kind and supportive while being strict to uphold the utmost education quality for students,” Linh says. “I was able to immerse myself in a professional setting, being in class with bright and kind classmates and learning a lot from them.”

After 8 years working in Vietnam advising policies for the government and several Fortune 500 companies, Linh has moved to Edmonton, Canada to work for the Government of Alberta as a trade policy analyst.

“None of this would be possible without the opportunity that IU McKinney gave me back in 2015, with a scholarship to be in the MJ program, and the guidance and support of the law school’s professors,” Linh says.