By Cynthia Hubert

April 29, 2024

In her mind, LanPhuong Nguyen can still see the flames and hear the rat-a-tat of bullets as her family crawled through rice fields to escape crossfire as the war in Vietnam exploded around them.

The trauma she suffered as a child haunts her, even though she and her parents and siblings long ago settled into life in the United States, where they have earned degrees, cared for their families, and started businesses.

Nguyen, who is on the cusp of earning a master’s degree at Sac State, said she still feels like an outsider in some ways, which is one reason she wants to tell her story publicly during an event this week at the University.

“I hope to inspire people to learn more about the history of Vietnam and Vietnamese refugees, to see us as people who were forced to leave our country and who work very hard here,” she said.

Nguyen and four others who identify as Asian, including two other Sac State students, will speak about their experiences during “Our Stories Matter: True Stories from the APIDA Community”, 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, at the University’s Hinde Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

“We believe in amplifying stories from our Asian community. We care about elevating the narratives of the APIDA community, making this a topic of our conversation in our community.” -- Lisa Cantrell, Sac State associate professor of Child and Adolescent Development

Also speaking will be students Jomari Fernandez and Hang Hoang, and community members Jasjeet Dhanota and Vivien Narcisa Triano.

“Our Stories Matter” is presented by the nonprofit group Capital Storytelling, launched in 2018 by Lisa Cantrell, Sac State associate professor of Child and Adolescent Development. This year’s group of storytellers attended workshops at Sac State’s new APIDA Center to prepare for their presentations.

“We believe in amplifying stories from our Asian community,” Cantrell said. “We care about elevating the narratives of the APIDA community, making this a topic of our conversation in our community.”

Research has shown that listening to personal stories can lead to more positive perceptions of refugees, transgender people, homeless individuals and others who have been marginalized by society, she said.

The Asian population is diverse, with roots in more than 20 countries. But their rich and varied cultures often become lost in stereotypes and simplistic narratives.

“We invite our city to listen, walk in another person’s shoes, and begin to have conversations about what it means to be Asian in the United States,” Cantrell said.

Nguyen, whose father was a political prisoner in Vietnam after the war ended in 1975, faced numerous obstacles after she and her mother, father, three sisters and brother finally made their way to the U.S. in 1990 when she was 22 years old.

She persevered through language barriers, poverty, and significant mental and physical health challenges, and is on a path to earning her second graduate degree next year.

“When we got here, I knew I had to learn English very quickly” to help her family navigate the complexities of their new life, she said. “I had to do it for survival.”

Nguyen earned two degrees from colleges on the East Coast before enrolling at Sacramento State, where she is on track to receive her master’s in Political Science in December. She received a Faculty Senate Student Scholarship Award this year.

Nguyen has cultivated an interest in politics, participating in student government and serving as student body president at her community college in Stockton. She has worked and volunteered for local political candidates.

Nguyen said she hopes to take her dream to the next level, possibly running for a spot in the California state Legislature with a goal of uplifting people who face cultural and other barriers to finding success.

“Politics has the power to affect people in their everyday lives, and I want to be a part of that,” Nguyen said. “In whatever I do, I am very determined.”