That was the heartbreaking, thoughtful statement of astronaut and social activist Amanda Nguyen, in her speech at the 2025 graduation ceremony of Fulbright University Vietnam, held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 7.
Amanda Nguyen - social activist, founder of Rise Organization and the first Vietnamese-American woman to fly into space (2nd from right), was the honorary speaker at the graduation ceremony of Fulbright University Vietnam students.
With deep sincerity, Amanda recounted small stories in her journey, from being a rape victim, to convincing countries to pass the United Nations Resolution on the Rape Victims' Rights Act, and then becoming the first Vietnamese woman to fly into space.
"It took me 26 hours to fly from the US to Vietnam, but it only took me 4 minutes to fly into space from my rocket. Even though I'm halfway around the world, I still feel at home being here, among the wonderful Vietnamese community" - Amanda proudly said.
From his life story, the honorary speaker sent four valuable pieces of advice to the young people. First is empathy. Second, realize that we are the sum of many beings. Third is courage. And finally, love.
Amanda Nguyen emphasizes empathy and radical compassion as the key to success in advocacy. Successful campaigns are not about being smarter or having more resources, but everything revolves around one key factor: radical compassion. This means the ability to see the humanity in others, even when they don’t see it in themselves.
She cited the historic meeting at the Vatican where she, a survivor of sexual assault, convinced the Pope to support a UN resolution on justice for victims. By starting with compassion and focusing on shared values, they crossed political boundaries to reach consensus.
Amanda Nguyen encouraged students to find the courage to be true to themselves. "It will be the greatest journey in our lives to discover who we really are," Amanda emphasized.
From life events to extraordinary efforts, Amanda Nguyen has moved many young people.
She shares the story of how her parents were shocked when she decided to become an activist, but then accepted it when she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
She said that no one needs to burn themselves to warm others. She affirmed that saving yourself is also worth it. The female astronaut defined courage not as the absence of fear, but as admitting fear and still moving forward.
The final lesson she shared was about love knowing no borders and finding a place to belong. As the first Vietnamese woman in space, Amanda Nguyen initially worried about whether her homeland would accept her, with her identity tied to both countries.
She found the answer in the phrase “Vietnamese American” and realized that we belong to a place called home, where there is love, and love has no borders. She also hopes that many other Vietnamese women will become astronauts flying into space.
The moment Amanda Nguyen flew into the air
It is known that at the graduation ceremony of the 2025 undergraduate class of Fulbright University Vietnam, there were 180 new graduates. With the message "Stay Rooted, Reach Far", Dr. Scott Fritzen, President of Fulbright University Vietnam, advised the new graduates to always stay rooted, live a meaningful life, connect with the community and humanity.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/bai-dien-van-xuc-dong-cua-nu-phi-hanh-gia-goc-viet-dau-tien-bay-vao-vu-tru-196250607183445001.htm
Comment (0)