Maiquynh Ngo

she/her/hers

Maiquynh Ngo is currently a Social Services Program Coordinator at the Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Inc. (CPACS), a nonprofit organization located in Atlanta, Georgia that has been serving its immigrant and refugee families in Georgia since 1980. Their mission is to promote self-sufficiency and equity for immigrants, refugees, and the underprivileged through comprehensive health and social services, capacity building, and advocacy. Her work experience with the Vietnamese community in Georgia includes raising awareness, coordinating and facilitating workshops, and foster community outreach on topics such as domestic violence, preventive healthcare, and social services. The Vietnamese community as well as the AAPI population in Georgia as a whole has been growing larger and stronger in recent years, and she has taken part in fostering that growth and serving the community. However, her work experience has been limited to mainly direct services with the clients, and she recognizes the lack of civic engagement and acknowledgment of their rights as a U.S. resident and/or citizen among the Vietnamese community. And those that do engage in their civic duties can be susceptible to false or misleading information. Coming from a family of immigrants myself, she has witnessed and experienced first-hand the hardships faced and the strength and determination that it took as an immigrant. She is motivated to empower families and provide the means necessary toward their better future, whether through direct services or civic engagement. She has taken part in the Vietnamese Advocacy Day in Washington D.C, organized by Boat People S.O.S. to advocate for the religious freedom in Vietnam, as well as Advocacy Day organized by community-based Asian American Advancing Justice-Atlanta at the Georgia state capital to advocate for voting rights. However, her part in these events were limited, and she looks to learn and advance her knowledge in advocating for the Asian community as a whole. She also looks forward to connecting with other SEAA advocates around the country in order to grow professionally and personally in her values and advocacy capacity.

Sweet or Savory?: Savory

Hype Song?: I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston