Amanda Nguyen speaks at the graduation ceremony of Fulbright University Vietnam on June 7 - Photo: TRONG NHAN
On the morning of June 7, at the graduation ceremony of the class of 2025 of Fulbright University Vietnam, there was the appearance of honorary speaker Amanda Nguyen - social activist, founder of the Rise Organization and the first Vietnamese-American woman to fly into space.
"Even though I'm halfway around the world, I still feel at home," Amanda began her story.
Amanda mentioned a 26-hour flight back to Vietnam, but also a journey of more than 10 years overcoming pain and fighting for her disadvantaged groups.
And in that journey, she summarized the four greatest lessons of life, passing them on to the new graduates as messages.
1. Empathy
Empathy, according to Amanda, is not credulity but the ability to see humanity in others, even when they don't see it in you.
That's how she convinced the Pope to support a historic resolution at the United Nations, enacting justice for billions of victims of abuse.
Not starting with accusations, she talks about her love of outer space - the "overview effect" - the feeling when looking at the Earth from space, seeing that we are all on the same planet.
“When you start with empathy, you can transcend political divisions to create real change,” she asserts.
2. The synthesis of many entities
A survivor of sexual violence, Amanda says she was once asked, “What were you wearing that day?” But in her “spirit of creative resistance,” she turned that question into a tool for her advocacy.
Typically during New York Fashion Week, right before the United Nations General Assembly, she organized the first fashion show dedicated to rape victims, inviting ambassadors to sit in the front row.
Amanda said that during the show, 25 countries confirmed their vote in favor of Rise's resolution. "Creativity comes from the intersection of different passions," Amanda emphasized.
3. Courage
“No one should have to burn themselves to keep others warm,” Amanda said. “Sometimes we feel guilty, as if we have to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of justice.”
"If you choose to fight, I will stand by you. But it's okay if you only save one person, and that person is yourself. Joy is the strongest form of rebellion. Find the courage to live authentically.
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to keep going in spite of it. Everything you want is on the other side of fear," Amanda said.
She added: "Many of us carry the expectations of society, of our parents, of our friends. I used to be like that too. You can imagine my parents' reaction when they found out that their daughter graduated from Harvard and chose to become a social activist. But after I was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize , they accepted that too."
4. Love
As a Vietnamese American, Amanda said she used to worry about whether her homeland would accept her. But then she realized: "No matter where we are, our roots are still here - Vietnam."
She confided that on the spaceship preparing to leave Earth, what she thought about was not personal glory but the promise she made to the little girl who had collapsed in a forensic examination room: "No matter what happens in life, I will survive and rise up."
As she rang the embarkation bell, a sailor's rite of passage, Amanda said she thought of the other Vietnamese women who would follow, who would never see themselves in the front row of any stage. "I'm not going into space to be the only one - I'm going to pave the way," she said.
Fulbright University Vietnam's 2025 undergraduate graduation ceremony recorded 180 new graduates.
With the message "Stay Rooted, Reach Far", Dr. Scott Fritzen, President of Fulbright University Vietnam, advised new graduates to always stay rooted, live a meaningful life, and connect with the community and humanity.
WEIGHT
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/amanda-nguyen-du-o-dau-coi-nguon-cua-chung-ta-van-o-viet-nam-20250607141302306.htm
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