Emma Nguyen is a fourth-year international student majoring in Sociology.
Her undergraduate honours thesis explores the adoption of English preferred names among Asian international university students in Anglo-Saxon countries. Beyond her current research, she is interested in studying law, migration, and race and ethnicity.
Outside of academia, Emma loves cinema, traveling, and excessively Facetiming her cat Macca.
The adoption of English preferred names among international university students who attended internationally-national secondary schools with Anglo-Saxon curricula is a unique phenomenon that reflects the intersections of cultural identity, acculturation, and assimilation. Despite extensive research on name change among migrants and international students, Asian or otherwise, as they move to Anglo-Saxon countries (UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand), little is known about the niche yet significant demographic of Asian international students who are familiar with Western culture through internationally-national schools, and how they navigate dual cultural spheres through educational, professional, and social environments.
This study investigates why these students in particular adopt English names, how they select English names, and the impact of this decision on their overall “success” in Anglo-Saxon countries. Participants were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling. Using results from 50 survey responses and 8 semi-structured qualitative interviews, this study explores Asian international students who previously studied at internationally-national schools, the impacts of using English names on their success (be it academic, social, or professional) in Anglo-Saxon countries, and their perceptions of identity. Findings reveal that English name adoption within this distinct subgroup functions as a strategy to achieve academic, social, and professional success in Anglo-Saxon countries, allowing Asian international students to present themselves as more convenient, memorable, and indistinguishable from their local counterparts. However, it may also create internal tensions between their identities, strip them of their uniqueness, and imbue within them self-doubt and the fear of being “uncovered”.
Future directions beyond understanding this phenomenon may address interviewees’ desire to reclaim their legal name as their preferred name, and the alternative factors that played into their name selection, such as gender identity or past traumas.
How did you become interested in this topic? Why did you choose it for your thesis?
The topic of international students adopting English names has lingered with me since high school, when I struggled with adopting an English name and, subsequently, with figuring out who I was and who I was expected to become. Growing up, being told to change my name for the convenience of others did not seem as strange because it was a rite of passage for everyone—me, my friends, my peers. Only later did I begin to question what it meant to trade something so personal for ease, and what it cost us to be seen as “acceptable.”
I revisited the topic in SOCI 361 with Dr. Neil Armitage, where I discovered so much passion in studying the social dimensions of identity that it naturally evolved into a full-fledged thesis project!
Can you summarize your project and its main findings for us?
My project examines why Asian international students who attended internationally-national schools adopt English names, how they choose them, and what this means for their identity and success in Anglo-Saxon countries. Through surveys and interviews, I found that English names often help students appear more “local” and well assimilated, aiding social and professional integration. However, this also creates internal and external tensions, as many feel they’re suppressing parts of their identity or living behind a façade.
What was your favourite part of doing research?
Definitely conducting interviews! Hearing real stories from international students made the research feel personal and meaningful. Since my study employed convenience and snowball sampling, I went in knowing some of my participants beforehand. However, their stories about fitting in and the pressure to assimilate, erase, and change still shocked and moved me.
Adopting an English name is a common yet under-discussed experience among many Asian international students, a shared tradition saturated with challenges that we don’t tend to talk about. These conversations, while not entirely a surprise to me, were still so emotional and eye-opening, reminding me that every individual is complex and negotiating their identity in often.
If you could continue this project, what other facets to your topic or research question would you want to explore?
I would definitely like to explore cases where Asian international students reclaim their legal names while living in English-speaking countries. I am curious as to what experiences students encounter during the short yet transformative period that is university to reject their English names and revert back to their birth names.
Examining how confidence, community support, or evolving social environments empower students to reject imposed Western norms could challenge dominant narratives about assimilation and success, and offer a more nuanced view of how assimilation might not always come at the cost of authenticity.
Do you have advice for other prospective Sociology honours students? What are your biggest takeaways from this research journey?
My time in the Sociology honours program is something I will forever look back at with love. The research and writing skills that I developed, the invaluable connections I made, and the many moments of growth and discovery makes the sleepless nights and setbacks feel insignificant in hindsight. I would recommend this path to any prospective student.
One piece of advice I would offer is to adopt the mindset of “it is what it is” early on. So much will be out of your control: tight deadlines, recruitment challenges, imperfect data… but none of that really matters unless you let it. Your research doesn’t need to be flawless to be meaningful. Often, the most interesting insights emerge when things don’t go as planned.
