Linh Nguyen To Leave Multicultural Position

Linh Nguyen To Leave Multicultural Position

Michael Conway, Reporter

Linh Nguyen, manager of multicultural inclusion initiatives at Misericordia, has announced she is leaving that position after one year.

Nguyen said that, after much discussion, she and her partner have decided to move back to their home in Wisconsin.

Nguyen helped create and implement educational, social, and developmental initiatives focused on identity and inclusion for students, faculty and staff. She also provided oversight of mentoring programs and networking opportunities for underrepresented students.

Nguyen said she regrets leaving behind the work she started.

“Even only being at Misericordia for a little over a year, I’m happy about the work I’ve done and the conversations that I’ve had with multiple groups across campus about moving diversity and inclusion forward at the institution, and I’m sad I won’t be here to continue this momentum that we’ve gained.

However, she looks forward to what lies ahead in her personal life.

“My partner and I are extremely excited to be returning home, especially because both our families are there and we’re getting married in Wisconsin in 2021. When we envision where we want to settle down and have a future family, Wisconsin has always been the goal, so although the opportunity to return came sooner than expected, we’re both very happy and excited,” Nguyen said, calling her time at Misericordia “transformative.”

Though the opportunity she had was challenging, she said it was exciting because she was able to start with a blank canvas and help lead the conversation about how to make the campus more inclusive.

Though many individuals on campus promote inclusion and diversity, Nguyen hopes to see more people step up as leaders.

“We just need the leadership to commit to it,” she said. “This commitment needs to be more than just words of support. It needs to include proper staffing and funding.”

She also hopes to see the campus community become more engaged in diversity topics out of curiosity instead of a desire to receive course credit. Additionally, she would like to have more multicultural and diversity resources for students and possibly a campus community center.

“They’re the best part of the job,” Nguyen said of the students. “Getting to see the growth in the students I work closely with even in just the year that I worked with them is super rewarding. I’ll miss walking by the multicultural student lounge, a project I dedicated a lot of time to, and seeing it filled with people.”

One thing she would like to pass on to the next person in the position is the idea of change.

“I think it’s really important that people understand if they want to see change, find a way to make it happen,” Nguyen said. “If you hear or see something offensive, speak up. If you want to do an event or discussion to talk about a certain topic, talk to a staff or faculty member to make it happen. When it comes to diversity and inclusion, everyone has a role – it just depends on what you want that role to be.”