My Tam Nguyen | At-Large Trustee
Class of 2006, Bachelor of Arts, International Studies
Why I Serve
My education and experience at the UW was transformational. I took a UW journalism class that required real work. With mentorship, we chose and pursued our story ideas and were expected to publish I vividly remember spending many hours during the winter in Seattle’s Chinatown/ID to understand how folks experience homelessness. During spring break one semester, I studied architecture in Rome through a fellowship with the Office of Minority Affairs. That trip opened my options and curiosity into the worlds of design and the built environment leading to the work in addressing the housing crisis that I do today. The UW encourages students to interact with society through meaningful curriculum and student experiences. They opened the classroom walls in powerful ways that still ripple through my life.
I had five to seven internships per quarter. I consider many of the people I met to be family. I’m a cancer survivor and while going through treatment at the UW Medical Center, my UW community genuinely cared about me. Those meaningful relationships are what makes UW exceptional. Those deep enduring connections are what the world needs given the current political climate and global challenges. Even as alumni, we watch out for one another.
I endured the depth and loneliness of racism as a high school student. I love what I found on UW’s campus – from the Ethnic Cultural Center/Theater to the Instructional Center, and the staff of the Educational Opportunity Program, I felt fully supported and cared for as a student and as a human being. We need to continue to provide that kind of freedom and liberation as mentors and alumni for students. For a lot of folks, the university is the first time seeing themselves in society. We want students to be their whole selves while engaging in student life.
UW is an amazing institution that recognizes the whole person. We also need to engage that idea as alumni. Everyone can be part of what we’re doing and contribute regardless of skill, how much is in your pockets or what part of the world you’re from. For me growing up with a single mom in low-income housing, to graduating from UW, then Harvard, and now working on a solution to address the housing crisis – education is a promise and a dream come true. I hope to be able to deliver and make good on this promise to current and future generations of Huskies.
Biography
My Tam Nguyen is the Vice President of Business Development at Blokable, a Washington-based modular housing technology company. Its mission is making housing accessible and affordable for everyone. She previously worked as the deputy campaign manager for the 7th Congressional District race in 2016, as the first social media manager for Governor Jay Inslee, and as the public engagement lead for the city planning team at the City of Seattle.
My Tam is currently a fellow with the Harvard Business School’s U.S. Competitiveness Project’s Young American Leaders Program. It focuses on the region’s workforce development with a cohort of 10 cross-sector colleagues. She is also currently a political partner for the Truman National Security Project, the leading think tank for progressive national security solutions. Her background in politics and experience in the public and private sectors contribute towards building a better understanding of national security and global affairs while bridging civilians with the military, intelligence, diplomacy and development community.
My Tam lives, cooks and gardens in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, and spends her free time speaking publicly and providing food tours of Little Saigon/International District.
