Khoi Nguyen

Candidate statement

My name is Khoi Nguyen (they/he) and I am a doctoral candidate in American Studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. My dissertation argues that the refugee is not only a byproduct of the US War in Vietnam, but also that the US employed the refugee figure in 1954 to legitimize the military occupation in Southeast Asia. AAAS has always been a home for me as I grapple with my positionality as a displaced queer person and a transient on different stolen lands throughout the US. AAAS has created an intellectual and intersectional space for me to understand how my queerness moves beyond the confinement of gender and sexuality to examine the confluence of empire, war, and dispossession. As a student representative, I will promote programming, events, and panels for students, faculty, and community members focusing on healing justice, abolition, self-care, and more as we collectively address the ongoing global anti-Asian racism. I want to create more spaces for community organizers and student activists to push forward our long-standing traditions of resistance and coalition building. I want to ensure that AAAS is accessible to all as we continue to grow and build toward a queerer and radical future.