LEADERS IN ACTION
MICHELLE NGUYEN, ’21
A Will to Overcome Obstacles Michelle Nguyen, ’21 Majors: Political Science, Economics Hometown: Eden Prairie, Minnnesota National Scholarships: Dream Award, Mcnair Scholars Program
Photo by Shawna Noel Schill
There was a time UND student Michelle Nguyen considered dropping out. Her family had financial trouble, but the firstgenerational student didn’t falter. It was another obstacle for her to overcome. The daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, who both work in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to support a family of six, Nguyen has faced obstacles in her life. Nguyen’s story goes all the way back to the Vietnam War when her father, Michael, grew up in a family with 16 brothers and sisters. To help support the family, he walked many miles each day to sell ice cream. After a series of ordeals and misfortunes, Michael made his way to the U.S., where he eventually saved enough money to bring his wife, Diana, and their two sons to America.
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UND Alumni Magazine | Year in Review 2019
Although Nguyen and her younger brother were born in the U.S., they grew up speaking only Vietnamese at home. “When I went to school, it was like, ‘Why don’t these kids speak Vietnamese?’” she recalled. Even after she learned English, she continued to struggle with reading comprehension. None of that stopped her from taking up figure skating, getting involved in clubs, holding a job, and being elected student council president of Eden Prairie High School. As a high-school junior, Nguyen suffered a back injury that, at first, didn’t seem serious. “The next morning when I woke up, I couldn’t feel from my hips down to my toes; I was temporarily paralyzed,” she said. “I was in my bed screaming, ‘Dad! Mom! I can’t feel my legs!
