In 1975, following the end of the Vietnam War, Nguyen's family fled their country and settled in the United States, joining a growing Vietnamese population in New Orleans.
As the "chi hai", or oldest sibling, she took on a great deal of family responsibility. She helped her parents with running their neighborhood food mart and her siblings with their schoolwork. When Nguyen turned 15 years old, she was given the opportunity to move to Portland to attend St. Mary’s Academy on scholarship. Decades later, Nguyen continues to call Portland home.
Nguyen's experience as a child of refugee parents informs her current work as a school attendance coach at Portland Public Schools. She works with families and students that are struggling with chronic absenteeism. “Thirty years later, I have observed that not much has shifted and the same challenges still exist today for immigrant and refugee communities with cultural and language barriers," said Nguyen. "I believe the education system was not built to include diverse communities and it feels like we are always are trying to fit a circle into a square hole.”
Her work as a school attendance coach inspired Nguyen to run for David Douglas School District 40, Director, Position 3. As one of the most diverse school districts in Multnomah County, she observed that the school district was lacking Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders. “I’m familiar with the challenges in school, as my parents were busy working and I had to navigate the education system for me and my siblings at a very young age,” said Nguyen.
In her new role, she wants to share her lived experiences as a daughter of refugee parents, while offering her professional experience working with diverse communities.
Sashchenko grew up in a large immigrant family, and always placed a high value on education. He is the executive director and co-founder of Slavic Vote, a nonprofit working to increase the Slavic community’s participation in government, primarily through voter registration and education in Washington, Oregon, and California. Slavic Vote also works toward activating and supporting members of the Slavic community to run for public office.
Sashchenko was inspired to run for PCC, Director, Zone 4 because he believes community colleges are an affordable option for local students wishing to further their education and develop professional skills. He also knows that many immigrant and first-generation students are marginalized by the college application process or lack experience navigating the complex financial assistance system.
“I want to serve our community and hopefully inspire others to also [become community leaders],” said Sashchenko. “Often times we think that getting involved in the local election process is for professionals, but I learned that the best representatives of our communities are the people who have been impacted by those decisions firsthand.”
He added, “I strongly believe everyone who is interested in running for public office should give it a try. At the very least, it will give people an insight and appreciation for our democratic process and even more gratitude for our communities, compared to the country we came from.”