Trangdai-fest continues!
This story was printed from Daily Titan.Site URL: http://www.dailytitan.com.
Fulbright Fellow shares Vietnamese research CSUF alumna strives to bring out voices of ethnic communities
By Noura Al Anbar
April 07, 2005
Trangdai Tranguyen, a Cal State Fullerton graduate and Fulbright Fellow, re-united with students and faculty on Tuesday afternoon in the Pollak library, where she presented her research on the Diaspora of people with Vietnamese ancestry around the world, and more specifically in Sweden.
“With my experience as a Vietnamese-American, I try to bring out the voices and experiences of my ethnic community, however, at the same time I wanted to enlighten others about our communities and our experiences, so we can come together and build bridges of understanding and harmony.”
Tranguyen was recently awarded a five-year fellowship by Stanford University to complete her doctorate in social anthropology. This year, Tranguyen is spending a year at Stockholm University while concluding her research.
Tranguyen is a great, active student with outstanding accomplishments at a young age, said Arthur A. Hansen, a former professor of Tranguyen’s and director of the Center for Oral and Public History at CSUF.
“She was a very strong outreach person for us, and I think she finally found the field that’s best for her. She’s accomplished a lot since she’s been here: She logged thousands of volunteer hours in a lot of communities, most of it having to do with language and beyond.”
Tranguyen has a bachelor’s degree in child & adolescent studies and three others in English, liberal studies and Asian-American studies. As an oral historian and director of many projects such as the Vietnamese-American project, she said she hopes to uncover the history and interactions of people with Vietnamese ancestry with pan-European cultures.
“It’s very interesting to see the Vietnamese experience abroad, especially in Europe, because Europe is very different from America. In America, it is easier for one to feel a sense of belonging – even if we’re foreigners. In Europe, it’s more difficult,” said Imelda Lolowang, CSUF student and Fulbright fellow. “We need to develop our sense of consciousness and awareness about everything.”
Tranguyen’s research presented on Tuesday focused on her methodology in gathering information and explored the subjects and countries she traveled to – as well as her experiences abroad as a Vietnamese-American.
“The research Tranguyen is doing is interesting and very useful and valuable for the next generation,” said Brian Doan, a Vietnamese photographer. “It’s interesting to see the second-generation Vietnamese people who are born outside Vietnam who grew into a foreign and language and culture.”
Tranguyen said her motivation to do her research emerged after her experiences during
post-war Vietnam, and the loss of the Vietnamese history and records. In hope to collect her ancestors’ history, she continues to search for more answers and widen her research on the Diaspora of Vietnamese-ancestry people globally.
“There is a certain level of freedom that I have here in America that I didn’t have in Vietnam and I want to celebrate that, even though democracy is an ongoing process, civil liberty should not be taken for granted. Also now that I have experience with the American democracy, I want to share that with the rest of the world, and of course my ethnic fellows in Vietnam,” Tranguyen said.
Fulbright Fellow shares Vietnamese research CSUF alumna strives to bring out voices of ethnic communities
By Noura Al Anbar
April 07, 2005
Trangdai Tranguyen, a Cal State Fullerton graduate and Fulbright Fellow, re-united with students and faculty on Tuesday afternoon in the Pollak library, where she presented her research on the Diaspora of people with Vietnamese ancestry around the world, and more specifically in Sweden.
“With my experience as a Vietnamese-American, I try to bring out the voices and experiences of my ethnic community, however, at the same time I wanted to enlighten others about our communities and our experiences, so we can come together and build bridges of understanding and harmony.”
Tranguyen was recently awarded a five-year fellowship by Stanford University to complete her doctorate in social anthropology. This year, Tranguyen is spending a year at Stockholm University while concluding her research.
Tranguyen is a great, active student with outstanding accomplishments at a young age, said Arthur A. Hansen, a former professor of Tranguyen’s and director of the Center for Oral and Public History at CSUF.
“She was a very strong outreach person for us, and I think she finally found the field that’s best for her. She’s accomplished a lot since she’s been here: She logged thousands of volunteer hours in a lot of communities, most of it having to do with language and beyond.”
Tranguyen has a bachelor’s degree in child & adolescent studies and three others in English, liberal studies and Asian-American studies. As an oral historian and director of many projects such as the Vietnamese-American project, she said she hopes to uncover the history and interactions of people with Vietnamese ancestry with pan-European cultures.
“It’s very interesting to see the Vietnamese experience abroad, especially in Europe, because Europe is very different from America. In America, it is easier for one to feel a sense of belonging – even if we’re foreigners. In Europe, it’s more difficult,” said Imelda Lolowang, CSUF student and Fulbright fellow. “We need to develop our sense of consciousness and awareness about everything.”
Tranguyen’s research presented on Tuesday focused on her methodology in gathering information and explored the subjects and countries she traveled to – as well as her experiences abroad as a Vietnamese-American.
“The research Tranguyen is doing is interesting and very useful and valuable for the next generation,” said Brian Doan, a Vietnamese photographer. “It’s interesting to see the second-generation Vietnamese people who are born outside Vietnam who grew into a foreign and language and culture.”
Tranguyen said her motivation to do her research emerged after her experiences during
post-war Vietnam, and the loss of the Vietnamese history and records. In hope to collect her ancestors’ history, she continues to search for more answers and widen her research on the Diaspora of Vietnamese-ancestry people globally.
“There is a certain level of freedom that I have here in America that I didn’t have in Vietnam and I want to celebrate that, even though democracy is an ongoing process, civil liberty should not be taken for granted. Also now that I have experience with the American democracy, I want to share that with the rest of the world, and of course my ethnic fellows in Vietnam,” Tranguyen said.
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