UCSC graduate Madison Nguyen on May 1 (Rachel Carson ’97, History) Filed papers to run for District 2 on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The primary election is March 5, 2024. The top two candidates will face the general election on November 5, 2024. The winner will begin his term in January 2025.

About 9 years from 48 years old. Former (and first Vietnamese-American) San Jose Deputy Mayor and City Councilman Nguyen said: left politics. When she walked away from her elected life, Nguyen He remained active in the community by running a nonprofit, working with the San Jose Chamber of Commerce, and continuing to support causes and candidates who share his values. Most recently, she held the following positions: Executive Vice President (EVP) as a Silicon Valley organization and Vice President of AsianNet Media.

She never envisioned running for office again until the last year or so when something changed.

“I’m hearing more and more from friends, residents and colleagues who are unhappy with the direction we’re headed.” This includes the homeless and the lack of affordable housing. . “Crime is on the rise, affecting both residents and businesses. We want to support vulnerable residents, small businesses, children and their families, and the elderly, but the damage to our communities is no longer acceptable. .”

The question she kept hearing from people in her community was why elected leaders can’t get things done. “That is a very good question. It is true that these are big challenges. I know it’s not because I contributed.”

When elected to the San Jose City Council in 2005, Nguyen said District 7 had key areas like the rest of the city, including affordable housing, road safety, retail stores, and parks. I realized that the benefits of society were lacking. She collaborated with her two mayors and colleagues. City council members deal with these issues.

“I stood up and fought back and added protections to save more than 10,000 mobile homes for seniors and low-income families.” Helped build over 1,000 affordable homes for low-income families and seniors.

Recognizing that many children in the district were at risk of going down the wrong path, Nguyen worked with Franklin McKinley School District and other community partners to launch the Children’s Initiative in 2010. rice field. For school-aged children, we create a safe and fun environment where children can learn and grow academically and socially. The initiative coordinated existing education, health, social services, housing, neighborhood and economic development efforts to provide a comprehensive community development approach to reduce family poverty in the Santee and Fair districts. . ”

Nguyen served on the San Jose City Council from 2005 to 2014 and served as San Jose Deputy Mayor from 2011 to 2014. When he left his office, Nguyen felt things were heading in the right direction. “I’m not in the mood today. And I’m sorry, county leaders aren’t getting us there, at least not at the pace residents expect and deserve. I’m running , the experience, the knowledge, the drive to get things done, and the results.

If elected, Nguyen’s top priorities will be to: homelessness crisis (including mental health support services, addiction treatment, provision of temporary housing, and job placement opportunities); affordable housing (for seniors and low-income households); (including working with agencies and allocating more resources) for crime prevention).

Early Childhood Education and Early Education

Her determination has roots in childhood. She is a living example of what one can achieve with hard work and a strong education.

Nguyen I was born in Nha Trang, a city in central Vietnam. When she was four, her family fled Vietnam in the middle of the night on a small fishing boat. They were rescued at sea and taken to a refugee camp in Bataan, Philippines. The family remained there for almost three years before moving to Scottsdale, Arizona under the patronage of the Church. A year later they moved to Modesto, California. “My parents started working on Paterson’s farm as soon as we arrived in Modesto. We were so poor it was hard growing up. We lived in a three-bedroom house. We lived with 11. We depended on government subsidies for almost every part of our lives, from affordable housing to Medi-Cal and free lunches. bottom.”

Grown up, Nguyen I am grateful for free and quality education. “My parents instilled in all of us that the main reason we fled Vietnam was to give our children a good education in America. Instead, I participated in a variety of sports, excelled in academic extracurricular activities, and served as secretary of the student council.”

She has 8 siblings. During the summer, children (from the age of 12) worked in the fields to pick fruit. “I worked in the fields every summer until I went to UCSC. I never saw a dollar of my income.” It was used for “several new costumes” to be released. “My upbringing not only helped shape my desire to pursue a career in public service, but it also helped me understand where I came from and the obstacles I had to overcome to become who I am today. always reminds me of

Exciting experience at UCSC

Nguyen has fond memories of his time at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “I love the campus and the people. It is one of the best academic institutions in the world.”

She is grateful for her education and experiences at UCSC, which have profoundly impacted her life. “It taught me to challenge the status quo, be honest in everything I do, and most importantly, follow my passion, even if it doesn’t align with my degree. A UCSC education prepared me not only for a particular career, but to choose the career I wanted.”

Nguyen also praised To UCSC professors. She describes three special professors, Alice Yang and Gail Harshutter (History) and Helen Shapiro (Sociology), as “educational warriors.”

“They were intelligent, thoughtful, caring, understanding, and showed a desire to see every student succeed,” she recalls. “They were smart yet friendly, stern yet compassionate, intelligent yet understanding. ‘She will strive to demonstrate these same qualities should she return to her teacher one day.

Graduate school and early career

After graduating from UCSC, Nguyen worked for a start-up magazine company for a year before moving to Chicago for graduate school. She received a full scholarship from the University of Chicago to complete her master’s degree.

“I had such a great learning experience at UCSC that I wanted to continue to love learning and college life. My studies at UCSC inspired me to pursue graduate education. I wanted to be.” She taught at two community colleges in San Jose and enjoyed it.

Nguyen eventually found his heart in politics. “What I really like is the opportunity to meet and have conversations with people from all walks of life. Being a civil servant not only allows me to listen to people, but it also gives me the opportunity to transform these life stories and experiences into good policies and regulations that benefit the voters I serve. ”

After completing his master’s degree, Nguyen returned to UCSC to begin his Ph.D.program of Sociology. She lived in San Jose and rented a small room to save her money. Two years later, in 2002, she ran for public office for the first time. She joined because she said she needed a Vietnamese-American voice on her local school board, given that this school district has more Vietnamese students than any other school district in the city. Because I felt She competed for her incumbent and won. So she dropped out of graduate school to pursue her civil service career.

“It was unconventional to say the least. In many cases, all it takes is a strong desire to make the change you want to see and a determination to work hard and show people that you have what it takes to make that change.”

Fun Fact: Nguyen didn’t know banana slugs existed until he came to UCSC. “It’s one of the most beautiful Hermaphrodite We are proud to welcome them as our mascots crawling on this earth. ”