Amanda Nguyen was living her dream — to be an astronaut. That journey began with her acceptance to Harvard. She earned an internship with NASA and was working toward realizing her lifelong desire to visit space. In one instant, the entire trajectory of her life changed.
While at Harvard, she was sexually assaulted. Amanda discovered that after six months, the government could destroy the evidence of rape. Rape survivors had to file an extension request every six months to keep their rape kits (the evidence of their rape) from being destroyed.
Amanda was at a crossroads. She could ignore what had happened and continue pursuing her goal of joining NASA or fight to rewrite the law. Amanda Nguyen became a warrior, putting her dream of being an astronaut on hold.
Amanda chose justice. Five small words pushed her and others forward on this new journey. “Never Never Never Give Up.”
Over the next five years, Amanda and other rape survivors rewrote the law. The battle began in Massachusetts. After winning at the state level, they took the bill to the United States Congress. Amanda testified in Congress, reliving her rape. Her friend, actor Terry Crews, joined her. The vote received unanimous approval. President Obama signed the new “Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights” into law on October 7, 2016.
Once they won in the US, Amanda Nguyen took the battle to the United Nations. Using the visibility of the New York Fashion Week, they created a presentation based on what the women were wearing when they got raped. Wearing those outfits, they walked the runway at the fashion show. The UN passed the Survivors’ Rights Resolution a year later with another unanimous vote.
Where Is Amanda Nguyen Now? A Timeline
Amanda graduated from Harvard and completed her internship at NASA. She founded Rise, a civil rights non-profit for rape survivors, in 2014. President Obama signed the US law in 2016. After winning the battle at the UN, Amanda Nguyen was a nominee for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. In 2019, she received the 24th Annual Heinz Awards in Public Policy. In 2022, Time named her Time Woman of the Year. She is on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. This is only a partial list of her accomplishments.
Amanda Nguyen is now 32. Still active with Rise, the fight is shifting to include violence against Asian Americans while continuing their work with rape survivors.
After a ten-year diversion, Amanda is finally realizing her dream of entering space. She will be the first Vietnamese woman in space when the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launches. You can follow Amanda Nguyen on TikTok, Instagram, or by visiting her website. Amanda is still a civil rights activist and public speaker. The journey that Amanda took as a rape survivor will continue to help other survivors worldwide. The word “Hero” and the name “Amanda Nguyen” are synonyms.
Please share this if you know someone who needs to see that heroes exist and dreams DO come true.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.