Cincinnati — Being a full-time college student is hard enough, but one UC Bearcat is as committed to business as it is to education.

Nick Nguyen is a finance major at the University of Cincinnati and spends a lot of time doing math both in business and in class.

“Education is the number one priority in our household,” said Nguyen.

Nguyen opened its first store, From The Sidewalk, in July. His junior is an immigrant from Vietnam who says he has a better life for himself and his parents.

Nguyen works at his shop, From the Sidewalk. (Katie Capsta/Spectrum News)

“I walk around with a chip on my shoulder,” he said. I deserve a better life. ”

Three years after moving to Queen City, he’s living his dream student life.

“Three years later, I made it happen. So it’s a great moment to look back on.”

Now he has made it happen. His own store is filled with the trendiest shoes.

“We got the Easy here, then we got the SB Dunks, then we got the Low in the Dunks, then down we got the Jordans, all the retro Jordans,” he said.

At just 22, Nguyen makes up 6% of business owners under the age of 35, according to the U.S. Census. He started his venture in the business of selling shoes from trunks before calling this store on the Rhine his home earlier this summer. And thanks to the already high sales, we know he has something special.

From The Sidewalk offers a wide range of rare and trendy shoes. (Katie Capsta/Spectrum News)

“You can’t walk into a footlocker or the finish line to get these products. You have to know someone or be very lucky.”

Each item in this store is special, but Nguyen knows his journey will be a piece of cake.

“I look back a little bit on the journey of how it came to be and how lucky I am to be in this position today,” he said. “Yeah, it’s surreal. Surreal is the perfect word .”