Feb 25, 2019
Cyndi Nguyen, born Xuan Thi, and her family escaped from Vietnam on a boat in 1975. Cyndi struggled to adjust to American culture while still being expected to behave like a traditional Vietnamese girl. Cyndi's parents shipped her to several boarding schools in an attempt to save her from herself. In the end, a school shooting and a host family in Iowa helped to steer Cyndi in the right direction. In 2018, Cyndi became the first Vietnamese American to serve on the City Council for the City of New Orleans. Check out Cyndi's story.