Great trials often leave a person devastated. But Amanda Nguyen managed to prove that even the most bitter reality is not the end of the world.
Launching the Orange County Register, this Vietnamese American has achieved her dream of becoming an astronaut after persistently fighting for her rights as a survivor of sexual violence. She even has the honor of being the first Southeast Asian woman to fly into space. What is her story?
Amanda Nguyen And the Journey to Space
Amanda N Nguyen is a woman of Vietnamese descent who now lives in Southern California, United States. Known as a social activist who persistently fights for the rights of victims of sexual violence, the 32-year-old woman will become the first woman of Vietnamese descent to go into space.
Launching the Orange County Register, the non-profit organization Space for Humanity will sponsor Amanda Nguyen’s journey to explore space through the Citizen Astronaut Program. Participants in this program are also not arbitrary and have been carefully selected through various considerations. Later, Amanda will travel to space on a space vehicle called Blue Origin New Shepard.
“Amanda’s new journey will serve as a shining example and is eagerly awaited by many others,” Space for Humanity executive director Antonio Peronace said in a statement.
“As an organization committed to democratizing space and making it accessible to all citizens of the world, we are proud that Amanda and her journey represent the strength, passion and brilliance that we want to continue to launch to greater heights,” he continued.
A Dream Delayed By Sexual Violence
The opportunity to explore outer space was obviously an amazing thing for Amanda because she had always dreamed of becoming an astronaut. However, she lost sight of that dream when she became a victim of sexual harassment in 2013, when she was studying national security and astrophysics at Harvard University.
Amanda revealed that the terrible incident had left her devastated and momentarily made her forget the big dream she had built for so long. But amazingly, she then chose to fight for things and justice. She then postponed pursuing her dream of becoming an astronaut and turned to social and humanitarian activities for survivors of gender-based violence.
“As someone whose dream was to go into space but was stopped and delayed – like many people, especially women, who face gender-based violence – this opportunity means ‘justice’ to me,” Nguyen said.
“I had chosen to postpone my dream of becoming an astronaut in order to fight for rights (for survivors of gender-based violence), and I can still continue to maintain that identity before being really hurt (by sexual violence),” she said.
Amanda’s Fight For The Rights Of Victims Of Sexual Violence
One of the reasons Amanda was selected for the Citizen Astronaut Program is because of her hard work in the humanitarian field. After experiencing sexual abuse, Amanda realized how difficult it is to seek justice, especially in cases of sexual abuse. However, she did not remain silent and continued to fight for the passage of laws in Congress that protect the rights of sexual harassment victims.
In 2014, she also successfully founded Rise, a non-profit organization that works with state legislators to implement similar rights for victims. Amanda’s success in fighting for the rights of sexual abuse victims led to her being nominated by two members of Congress for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018. In 2022, she was also selected as one of Time magazine’s Women of the Year.
Now, almost eight years after Congress unanimously approved the “Sexual Harassment Victims’ Bill of Rights,” Space for Humanity has finally announced that it will sponsor Amanda’s trip to space. This made her realize that her struggle as an activist and her dream of becoming an astronaut go hand in hand.
“Fleeing by boat (from Vietnam to the United States), my family used to rely solely on the stars to guide them to freedom,” Amanda Nguyen said in a published video. “Mom, you swam to make me fly. You crossed the ocean so I could touch the sky,” she continued.
The details of Amanda Nguyen and her partner’s journey have yet to be announced. But she has already started preparing by practicing and consulting with other female astronauts. She also advised young girls out there not to hesitate to pursue their dreams.
“Go for it. You don’t need to feel qualified enough to actually do it. It’s enough to be who you are now, and your dreams matter a lot. Even if it seems impossible, just do it,” Amanda Nguyen advised.
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