Lan Nguyen, a former community nutrition educator for UC Cooperative Extension in Alameda County, died in Milpitas on Jan. 10. She was 77.
From 1995 until 2010, Nguyen taught families in the Extended Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNEP) Program, now called CalFresh Healthy Living, UC. She also participated in other creative activities and research projects, including improving the calcium intake of limited resource Asian and Pacific Islander women; the dietary practices of families with small children impacted by substance abuse; eating practices of three generations of Black women, and a 10-county study of the nutrition education and food safety needs of limited-income seniors, caregivers and senior volunteers.
“With compassion and understanding, she targeted at-risk audiences across cultures teaching money management, nutrition education, healthy lifestyle and life skills,” said Mary Blackburn, emeritus UCCE advisor and Nguyen’s supervisor at the time. “She was one of the most effective educators in the state, and her work is still highly valued and appreciated by agencies in Alameda County.”
Before joining UC ANR, Nguyen taught English and served as an interpreter and translator at the Staff Development Center of the USAID Mission to Vietnam. In California, she worked for the Alameda County Office of Education translating U.S. history materials from English to Vietnamese. She also developed a handbook on Vietnamese culture and conducted workshops and training for teachers and staff in five Bay Area school districts. She also developed curricula and taught English as a second language to refugees at De Anza Community College from 1978-81.
Nguyen earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and English Literature from the Dalat University, Vietnam (1969); studied creative writing at the graduate school of journalism, University of Iowa (1970); earned a master’s degree in education from San Jose State (1982); and held teaching credentials for adult education, K-12 secondary education and partial college education. She also could converse in French.
Nguyen’s language skills in Vietnamese and Chinese and her rapport with Southeast Asian communities contributed to her success as an educator.
“Lan’s life of trials and triumph as a Vietnamese refugee was most inspiring and motivational for the indigent populations she served,” Blackburn said. “Some returned to her classes just to experience the feeling of hope, aspiration, and gain confidence in their ability to improve the lives of their families.”
One of her students said, “Because of Ms. Lan’s great teaching on nutrition, healthy lifestyle and learning life skills, my life and that of my family changed for the better.”
Nguyen fled Vietnam on April 29, 1975, after the fall of Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City. When she left for the refugee camp in the Philippines with her family, she feared authorities would capture her husband Khiem Vou, who was the director of Administrative Affairs for the South Vietnamese government.
In a July 4, 1978, interview with the San Francisco Examiner, Khiem Vou said the U.S. Embassy called hours before the surrender of South Vietnam to tell him he had 45 minutes to reach the rendezvous site to escape and he could bring 10 pounds of belongings.
They reunited at a refugee camp in Subic Bay in the Philippines and eventually settled in the San Francisco Bay Area in Mountain View in September 1975. After her husband died unexpectedly in 1984, Nguyen cared for their three small children and her mother and father.
At Nguyen’s retirement in 2010, an agency director in Alameda County expressed his appreciation for her service to the South County Homeless project and the Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency (BOSS) programs. He said, “Lan helped us to see ourselves differently… the structure of the program became more formal, user friendly, and the process of assessment became routine…. She helped change the views of the program and its culture by just caring, loving and persistence. Lan, you have touched my life and the lives of countless others with your love and dedication to helping people.”
Nguyen’s career accomplishments were recognized by UC ANR with an individual distinguished service award for community outreach and multiple team awards of excellence. She also received a proclamation from Milpitas Mayor Robert Livengood and a commendation from the chair of Alameda County Board of Supervisors, Alice Lai-Bitker, for her service to Alameda County.
She was a member of the California affiliate of the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Nguyen’s colleagues remember her with affection.
“I will remember the joy she brought to our every encounter!” said Michele Brown, who worked with Nguyen in Alameda County as a UCCE nutrition educator. “Always a smile to uplift, a Vietnamese spring roll (gỏi cuốn) to feed you, words of praise and encouragement spurring you on your way!”
Nicole Price, another former UCCE nutrition educator who worked with Nguyen, said, “I always appreciated Lan’s calm and grounding demeanor and soft-spoken – that speaks volumes! She made a positive impact in the UCCE office and in the Alameda County communities.”