First Generation International Graduate Engineers Success

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 15, 2015) — For one University of Kentucky student, last week’s commencement ceremonies fulfilled a dream generations in the making.

Tony Kao, a native of Cambodia, immigrated to the United States when he was 5 years old after his parents sought better opportunities for their son. They settled in Georgetown, Kentucky, where Kao’s natural curiosity led to a developed interest in cars at an early age.

“I liked to understand how some things worked and why some things didn’t,” Kao said. “I didn’t like to accept ‘just because’ as a valid reason for something.”

Kao’s interests led him to UK to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. The transition to college life was difficult, Kao says, but far from unmanageable.

“Coming in as a first-generation student taught me to be adaptive to my surroundings, whether it’s in the classroom or the workplace,” Kao said.

The workplace has been especially rewarding for Kao, who has interned with both Toyota and Marathon Petroleum. Kao also served as the president of the student section for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 

Kao enrolled at UK as a First Scholar, a scholarship program for first-generation college students. The program also provides academic support and services for students like Kao, who took away more than just academic guidance.

“I’ve made lifelong friends with faculty and other students in the First Scholars Program,” he said. “I can't imagine what my college experience would have been like without them.”

Though there were certain challenges along the way, Kao found encouragement in his UK community.

“I remember pushing myself really hard during my junior year and I struggled to keep up,” he said. “Luckily, with the support of family, friends and faculty, I made it out for the better.”

Kao hopes his accomplishments at UK will inspire future students in his family for generations to come.

“I hope I can pass on my experiences over the last few years to my younger cousins,” he said. “I want to help them come in more prepared than I was and be more successful as well.”

Following commencement, Kao will relocate to Texas, where he has accepted a full-time position with Marathon Petroleum. As he prepares to take the next step in his career, Kao passes on some advice to his fellow international students.

“Make a lot of friends and learn from all of them, inside and out of your major,” Kao said. “You can learn just as much about your areas of interest, yourself and your surroundings from someone who isn’t in your field as someone who is.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecca Stratton and Blair Hoover, (859) 323-2395; rebecca.stratton@uky.edu, blair.hoover@uky.edu