Thuan Nguyen-Lakrik

Manager, Student Advocacy, Development, and Mentoring

Thuan Nguyen-Lakrik is manager of Student Advocacy, Development, Mentoring, and the Students of Color Resource Center. She emigrated from her native Vietnam to the United States as one of the Boat People when she was 10 years old, without any spoken, written, or signed language. In Oregon, she supported her family by working with her mother picking strawberries for one dollar per box. She eventually graduated from the Oregon School for the Deaf and attended Ohlone College. Thuan earned her bachelor’s degree from Gallaudet University in 2000 and her master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from New York University in 2002.

Thuan is a leader and advocate within the Asian Deaf Community. She has presented nationally and internationally on race, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Her presentations have illustrated the issues of inclusion, race, and leadership, emphasizing Asian deaf identity and cultural assimilation challenges. She served as Program Coordinator for the National Deaf People of Color Conference in 2010; was one of the founders of the Deaf Women of Color (DWC) in 2005; and directed the Asian and Pacific Islander Deaf Student Collegiate Leadership Institute.

From 2002 to 2015, she was the staff advisor to the Asian Pacific Islander Association, a student organization. She is currently President of the National Asian Pacific Islander Deaf Coalition (NAPIDC), in addition to serving as Staff Advisor to Global Student Association (GLSA) and Muslim Student Association at Gallaudet University.


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