How a Vietnamese student in US landed internships at Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon

Phan Thuy Linh, a 22-year-old Vietnamese student, has successfully navigated the highly competitive U.S. tech landscape to secure positions at industry giants like Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon. A graduate of Gettysburg College who completed her Computer Science degree in just three and a half years, Linh’s journey began with a gap year in Ho Chi Minh City. Initially exploring marketing, she found her true calling after participating in a hackathon, which sparked a fascination with backend systems and software development.

Landing these prestigious roles required an extraordinary level of persistence and a high volume of applications. Linh and her peers routinely submitted between 300 and 500 applications, facing a market where even a strong profile might only result in a handful of interviews. After facing initial rejections, she dedicated her winter breaks to mastering complex algorithms and building personal coding projects, eventually securing her first major internship at Expedia, where she focused on data retrieval and database migration.

A cornerstone of Linh's success was her commitment to proactive networking, a significant challenge for someone who identifies as naturally introverted. She reached out to nearly 5,000 professionals on LinkedIn to request internal referrals, recognizing that personal connections are often the only way to stand out among thousands of applicants. Her dedication extended to in-person efforts as well, including flying across the country to attend conferences where she could engage directly with recruiters and engineers.

Mentors have noted a profound transformation in Linh, observing her shift from a shy student into a confident professional who now actively supports younger students in their own career paths. During the summer of 2025, her refined approach led to a surge of offers from top-tier firms like Uber and Mastercard. Even before her formal graduation last December, she had already secured a full-time role at a San Francisco startup while continuing to field interest from other major tech companies.

Today, Linh is a vocal advocate for women in STEM, aiming to dispel the myth that one must be a mathematical genius to succeed in software engineering. She encourages aspiring students to move past self-imposed barriers and gain hands-on experience through hackathons and internships. By sharing her resources and experiences, she hopes to inspire the next generation to aggressively pursue elite opportunities in the technology sector.