Staff

Staff

Chris Huynh

Information Technology Committee

What is up my doods (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ , I’m the IT Director for the 17th annual VIA-1 conference. This website was built with the generous help of my committee, which can be seen below. Without them, this website would not have been possible. So I want to take the time now to thank them for all the work they put into this. 

A little about me, I’m a 5th year Computer Engineering student at the University of Cincinnati and I’ll be an incoming software developer at Liberty Mutual in New Hampshire. I also enjoy learning how to cook and walking around large stores like Costco and IKEA. Anyways, enough about me, I hope you continue reading on more about the other directors and how they all helped make this conference possible.

Committee Members

Phát Nguyễn

Programming Committee

Born and raised in Việt Nam, Phát Nguyễn (he/him/his) and his family migrated to the United States in 2010 when he was nearly 15 years old. He’s graduating this December with a bachelor’s degree in Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and will be commissioning as a second lieutenant in the Army. He helped re-established VSA at his school in 2016 and since then has dedicated his time to build up the foundation. Phát’s first experience with UVSA-Midwest was at the 15th VIA-1 conference in Minneapolis, MN where he was inspired by the people he had met and the knowledge/skills he had learned. As the programming committee director, he hopes to bring in keynote speakers and workshops that are interesting, knowledgeable, and relatable while balancing time for attendees to network with each other.

Committee Members

Sarah Liao

Sponsorship Committee

Sarah Liao (she/her/hers) grew up in Zionsville, a suburb of Indianapolis, where there were few Asian Americans. As someone who is not Vietnamese, she was educated greatly when she joined VSA at IU. She currently is a Sophomore studying Economics (Concentration: Financial/Monetary Economics) at Indiana University. She is also the treasurer of VSA at IU. Last year, she joined VSA at IU after volunteering to dance for a world’ s culture fair. Since joining, the community has accepted her with open arms. Shortly after joining, she was invited to attend VIA-1 and was inspired to be bold. She is excited to serve as the Sponsorship Director and give back to the community.

Committee Members

Kenny Vo

Family Programming Committee

Hello! My name is Hien Vo, but I am more commonly referred to as Kenny. I am a sophomore studying Chemical Engineering on a pre-med track with a minor in Business at THE Ohio State University. I am involved on my campus through multiple organizations. I am my current VSA’s current Culture Show Director, SASE’s (Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers) Director of Recruitment, and Mirrors Sophomore Honorary Marketing Committee Chair. I am an Aquarius and an advocate (INFJ), so hopefully that is telling of what kind of person I am. An interesting tidbit about me is that I am a black belt in taekwondo, but I have not been competitive in almost 8 years now.

I have been involved with VSA for a year now and have already been given so many opportunities and memories that I want to start giving back to the community. This is why I am extremely ecstatic to be your 17th Annual VIA-1 Family Programming Committee Co-Director! I hope to provide you with a transformative space where you can build yourself higher, connect with the community, and create long-lasting relationships! I am look forward to meeting everyone and hope to leave a tasteful impression on everyone’s memory of the 17th Annual VIA-1!

Elizabeth Dang

Family Programming Committee

Hi y’all! My name is Elizabeth Dang and I am a third year at THE Ohio State University studying Public Management, Policy, and Leadership with a minor in Pharmaceutical Sciences. My goal is to pursue a career in Higher Education and Student Affairs to further work with students that need the additional support as I did as a first-generation college student.  I am heavily involved on my campus as the External Vice President of OSU VSA, Co-Coordinator or APIDA Cohort Mentorship Program, and a Student Chair of my university’s APIDA Heritage Month. As someone who was fortunate enough to have inspiring mentors and leaders to serve as role models within my life, I have made it my own mission to help inspire the new generations of leaders to emerge by helping and supporting in any way I can.  

I am proud to be your Family Programming Committee Co-Director and cannot wait to be part of the magic of your VIA-1 experience.  Whether you are a new attendee or returning, every experience is new and I am here to ensure you walk away with a greater appreciation for UVSA-Midwest, your local VSA, your local community, your culture, and most importantly yourself.  Passion is what inspires us to do better and be better and it is my goal to ignite that flame inside each and every one of you so that you can pass on the torch. If you ever want to talk or have any question or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to serving you at this year’s Vietnamese Interacting as One Conference!

Committee Members

John Nguyen

Multimedia Committee

Heyo, my name is John Nguyen and I am a 5th year at Iowa State University studying Interdisciplinary Design. I like to describe myself as an energetic and creative person! Also check me out on YouTube at BishieBoy (no space); support ya boi plzzzzzz.

Kevin Phan

Multimedia Committee

Hello everybody! My name is Kevin Phan and I will be the Media Co-director along with John Nguyen for the 17th Annual VIA-1 Conference! Currently, I am a junior at Indiana University and I am studying Japanese Language and Culture and Creative Technologies. I have a passion for fashion, Japanese, and of course, photography! Last year, I worked on the Media committee and this year will be my 2nd VIA-1 Conference! Through my photos, I hope to capture the best parts of this conference, so everyone can see how incredible and inspiring our VSA community is! I’m looking forward to seeing and meeting you all at this year’s VIA-1 at Indiana University!

Committee Members

Temima Nguyen

Registration Committee

Hi everyone! My name is Temima Nguyen. I will be your Registration Director for this upcoming 17th annual VIA-1 conference! I’m currently a senior at the University of Toledo studying Cosmetic Science and Design Formulation. I was on registration staff last year and this upcoming year will be my 3rd VIA-1 conference. I’ve been involved with my local VSA at the University of Toledo as its founder and working as multiple executive board positions such as president and student advisor during my undergraduate career. I’m super excited to work with this year’s staff to make sure this year’s VIA-1 is an enjoyable experience for everyone!

Committee Members

Bi Nguyen

Hospitality Committee

My name is Bi Huynh Nguyen and I will be your 2019 VIA-1 conference Hospitality Committee Director. I am from the University of Kansas in pursuit of becoming a future Registered Nurse. My goal for VIA-1, as well as what I’m most excited for, is to work my very hardest to ensure that those who decide to give their time to attend the conference are as comfortable as possible and enjoy that time building, connecting, and growing as individuals and a community.

Committee Members

Alex Ngo

Logistics Committee

Currently a senior at Indiana University, where I founded the VSA there back in 2016, I am majoring Human Biology on the premedical route. Born and raised from Fort Wayne, Indiana, I grew up with my Vietnamese community alongside with Nathan Giang and Tony Ngo. A few things about myself: I love lion dancing, working out, volleyball, tennis, cooking, Fortnite, and all of VSA! I am also the current Secretary for UVSA-Midwest and I am ecstatic to be in the event planning process for VIA-1!

Committee Members

Not Pictured: Takumi Iwamoto

Ashley Duong

Entertainment Committee

Ashley Duong was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she was greatly influenced by the Vietnamese community that resides there. Fueled by this appreciation for her heritage and the progress that has still yet to be made, she serves Advocacy/Service Chair at the University of Michigan. She seeks to promote awareness of issues facing the Asian/Pacific Islander community along with other marginalized communities. She also strives to bring out the sense of community around her and works toward fostering healthy and safe communities through service and research. As Entertainment Director of VIA-1, Ashley believes that expression and performance draw out the beauty and resonance within a culture, and is also a powerful tool necessary for representation and change.

Committee Members

Not Pictured: Maxell Nguyen

Kim Nguyen

Marketing Committee

Hi hi! I’m Kim Nguyen (she/her/hers) and I’m a 2nd-year undergraduate student studying Accounting and Chinese at The University of Kansas!

My first UVSA-Midwest event was the 16th Annual VIA-1 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, I’ve been inspired by UVSA-Midwest to strategize ways to reclaim our narratives as an APIDA community. My goal as this year’s Marketing Director is to establish a platform for members to easily connect with the UVSA-Midwest staff, exchange important information about the conference, and engage in meaningful virtual activities leading up to VIA-1! I love meeting new friends, so feel free to reach out and connect with me!!

Check out my awesome committee members below! I appreciate y’all so much!

Committee Members

Isabelle Ngo

Alumni Programming Committee

Hello VSBaes! My name is Isabelle and I am so excited to serve as your Alumni Programming Director! I was born and raised in California, graduated from UW-Madison with degrees in Communications, Political Science, and International Studies in May 2018, and currently reside in Chicago while working at Yelp (come visit me in the Windy City for the best boba in the Midwest!). This is my fourth year on VIA-1 staff and I look forward to strengthening relations between alumni and UVSA-Midwest by showing appreciation for alumni and fostering engagement among alumni at VIA-1. It’s exciting to see how much VIA-1 has grown over the years and I can’t wait to show you what we have planned for this upcoming conference!

Committee Members

Not Pictured: Kimberly Smith

Cindy Nguyen

Collective Philanthropy Project Committee

Hey y’all! My name is Cindy Nguyen, and I am super excited to serve as a CPP Co-Director alongside Erin Bovid for this upcoming VIA-1 Conference. I grew up in Salina, KS and graduated from The University of Kansas before moving out to the northwest. Currently, I reside in the Greater Seattle area with my two rescue pugs and work with children with developmental and intellectual disabilities. I am an intersectional feminist and dedicate my time to organizing/advocacy work with Southeast Asian and Black communities. I can’t wait to show all of you what VIA-1 is about and I hope the spaces created at our conference will inspire you to be a catalyst in the communities you’re all a part of!

Erin Bovid

Collective Philanthropy Project Committee
Erin Bovid (she/her/hers) is a former Iowa CoSR as well as former Vice President of UIowa VSA. During her time at the University of Iowa, Erin studied Human Services and Nonprofit Management. She was also involved with many multicultural and service organizations including the Filipino American Student Association, Hawkeye Service Teams, Dance Marathon, and the Iowa Asian Alliance’s Civic Engagement Committee. Erin also worked with various UI campus partners to tackle student support issues for APIDA-identified students and created programming such as the UI’s Annual AAPI Graduation which is now in its 3rd year. This will be Erin’s 5th year being on VIA-1 staff (her first was as a Family Leader at the 11th Annual VIA-1 Conference at the University of Iowa), and she is very excited to be Co-CPP director with Cindy Nguyen. Erin is looking forward to being able to give back to the event that inspired much of her work in the APIDA community and is hoping that attendees to this year’s VIA-1 conference will be able to find inspiration to do the same.

Committee Members

Not Pictured: Carol Ta and Sean Ngo

Alison Nguyen

Finance Committee
Alison Nguyen (she/her/hers) is an alumni from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. Although initially shy coming into college, she found a home within the VSAM community, eventually developing enough passion to become Secretary for VSAM board and one of the 2018 Tết Show Head Coordinators. During this time, she also became involved in UVSA Midwest, first starting off as an attendee at events like VIA-1 and Summer Extravaganza. After meeting so many inspiring Vietnamese student leaders, she decided she wanted to contribute more to the organization and joined VIA-1 Sponsorship committee for two years, became a family leader for the past VIA-1, and currently holds the position of UVSA Midwest Treasurer (RIP). She is also a proud sister of Alpha Phi Gamma and a former President of the Harry Potter Literature Club at her alma mater.

Committee Members

Not Pictured: Marilyn Lo