Cindy Nguyen

Cindy Nguyen is a recipient of the Academic Year 2021-2022 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship. The award provides undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students with financial support to develop fluency in less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) and expertise in the regions in which these languages are spoken. Click here to learn more.

Cindy Anh Thư Nguyễn, she/her, was born and raised on Karankawa, Atakapa, and Bidais land (Houston, Texas). Cindy’s experience in community organizing and mentorship for Vietnamese American youth and families cultivated a lifelong commitment to creating resources and advocating for immigrant communities. After participating in field research in Vietnam as an Vietnamese-English interpreter during her time as Roger Arliner Young Conservation Fellow, Cindy began seeking opportunities to build her language skills. This led her to study Vietnamese at Southeast Asian Summer Studies Institute (UW-Madison) and University of Washington (through UW’s Center for Global Studies). 

Cindy is currently a Master of Education student specializing in Curriculum & Instruction. 

Her Master’s project is centered around food gardens as intergenerational learning spaces for Vietnamese American youth and families. Through the FLAS Fellowship, Cindy hopes that improving her Vietnamese will help her develop more relevant educational resources, programs, and curricula for the Vietnamese American community. She hopes to advocate for the value of studying Vietnamese, help develop programs that can bridge language barriers between youth and their elders, and bring healing and understanding within the community.