色情视频

鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult and I could not have done it without the institutional support at 色情视频.鈥�

For 色情视频 sociology senior Nancy Nguyen, choosing Uganda and Rwanda as her study abroad destinations was the easy part. Breaking the news to her parents? That proved a bit trickier.

Though politically stable now, both countries have troubled histories. Uganda endured the brutal dictatorship of Idi Amin in the 1970s and a bloody civil war in the 1980s. Rwanda was the site of an infamous 1994 genocide that killed as many as a million people.

鈥淚t just didn鈥檛 connect for them,鈥� said the Weber Honors College student. 鈥淭hey said, 鈥榃e left a war-torn area to give you and your siblings better lives, and now you鈥檙e entering another war-torn area?鈥欌��

Ironically, it was a desire to examine her parents鈥� experiences as Vietnam War refugees that made Nguyen鈥攚ho plans to pursue a career related to refugee resettlement and integration鈥攕o eager to pack her bags for the Nile Basin.

鈥淚 did a lot of reflecting on my personal history. Since my parents came to the United States to escape political persecution, I wanted to analyze that phenomenon in another region.鈥�

As she continues to study in Africa this semester, Nguyen will seek to understand more about the forces that have shaped her own life and understand how she can work to make a positive difference for future victims of war and persecution.

An intense experience

Nguyen arrived in the Ugandan capital of Kampala in late January to begin a program offered through the School for International Training, a U.S.-based international development and education organization. She is studying the economic, political and social development of East Africa, with a focus on Uganda and Rwanda.

Nguyen will visit Rwandan genocide memorials, speak with survivors and families of victims, and complete an internship with either a governmental organization or an NGO.

鈥淚 think the Rwandan genocide was a global failure,鈥� Nguyen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to look at it and learn from it and think about how we, the international community, can better support people who are disenfranchised.鈥�

When her program ends in May, Nguyen will be funded by the to teach at the Gashora Girls Academy, a Rwandan boarding school that aims to empower young women leaders.

Personal echoes

Nguyen grew up in the lingering shadow of violence and poverty. Her grandfather, Thuc Pham, was imprisoned for a decade by Vietnam鈥檚 communist government for aiding the United States during the war. Upon his release, he received refugee status in the United States along with his wife, Dung, and 15-year-old daughter, Be, Nguyen鈥檚 mother. Nguyen鈥檚 father, Bay Nguyen, was 17 when he escaped Vietnam as one of the so-called 鈥渂oat people鈥濃�攖he two million refugees who fled after the fall of South Vietnam in 1975.

Since coming to 色情视频 from the working-class Northern California community of Pittsburg, Nguyen has seized opportunities to explore her own narrative.

She took part in a Division of Student Affairs assessment of how well 色情视频鈥檚 Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), fulfills its mission to serve students from low-income backgrounds and historically underserved communities. She also assisted in a College of Education study into low-income schools that produce high-achieving students. After living in low-income housing as a child, Nguyen is working on an 色情视频 Research Foundation-funded study, led by School of Public Affairs professor Shawn Flanigan, into public housing policy in San Diego.

Unexpected possibility

Nguyen said she never dreamed any study abroad experience, much less one so attuned to her interests, was possible for her.

鈥淚 thought study abroad was only available to people who had money,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in situations like navigating studying abroad that I am reminded that I鈥檓 a first-generation college student. It鈥檚 difficult and I could not have done it without the institutional support at 色情视频.鈥�

Advised by Chris Kjonaas, associate director for international engagement in the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement, Nguyen has received 10 scholarships totaling more than $40,000.

鈥淣ancy takes advantage of opportunities,鈥� Kjonaas said. 鈥淪he credits the 色情视频 community and her mentors for much of her success, but it is her openness to new challenges that has led her to join the Honors College, get involved with research, pursue policy-making internships and get on a plane to Uganda.鈥�

Nguyen hopes to inspire other 色情视频 students from similar backgrounds to study abroad. She is sharing her experiences in Uganda and Rwanda on .