It’s a good thing that Zin Maung ‘23 (Information Systems and Supply Chain Management) was a Division I track and field athlete because he has spent a lot of time running – to class, sports practices, military obligations, and his work as a graduate assistant with the Bryan School of Business and Economics before recently landing a full-time job.
“UNCG offers the flexibility for vets to attend school fully online and still live on campus if they choose,” Maung says. “When I had military commitments, I would send my professors an email to let them know my situation, and they helped me
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UNCG offers the flexibility for vets to attend school fully
online and still live on campus if they choose.
Running Down a Dream
Maung, who graduated with a 3.8 in May 2023, earned a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management. Now, he is working toward an MBA and a post-graduate certificate, recently landing a full-time job in procurement. Eventually, he wants to pursue a PhD.
His dedication to his studies and the military is rooted in his history.
When he was 8 years old, Maung and his family emigrated to the US after fleeing Southeast Asia, where his father had been in Myanmar’s rebel army. The family had been forced into the jungles of neighboring Thailand when his mother was 8 months pregnant with him.
Grateful to be in the U.S., Maung carried with him a desire to give back as his family moved from Pittsburgh, PA, to Chapel Hill, where he attended high school and became an All-State track runner. Once at UNCG, he got involved with the men’s club volleyball team, spending two years as club president and helping the team take on some Division I matchups, before successfully trying out for track and field.
As he thought about his future, Maung decided to reach out to the U.S. Marines as well as the U.S. Army. “The Army picked up right away,” Maung says with a laugh. So, the Army it was.
As soon as he finished his sophomore year, he traveled to Fort Jackson for three months of basic training that included 25-mile hikes with 60 pounds on his back. After scoring well on Army aptitude tests, he then went to quartermaster school in Fort Lee, where he honed skills related to warehousing, inventory management and automated logistics.
But by now, he was starting his junior year in college too, and that’s when UNCG’s support really kicked in. Maung attended the first part of his semester online so he could finish his time on base. “I had 4 a.m. wakeups for PT training; did Army school from 9 to 5; then more athletic training; and from 7 to 8 p.m. and on the weekends, I did as much UNCG school work as I could squeeze in,” he said. Carrying a load of four Bryan School courses, he kept his grades up at UNCG while finishing second in his Army class. All the while, his professors were supportive, and the university held a dorm room so he could return to campus.
