Young Alumni Spotlight

THE ALUMNI YOUNG ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Emily Nguyen ‘19

PHS: Please tell me a little bit about your time at PHS. Emily Nguyen: PHS was a very formative experience for me because everyone there really wanted to see me grow. The classroom learning environments were so small, so I was really able to form those bonds with my teachers. Everyone around me really wanted to see me succeed. They didn’t push me to succeed by assigning me this many tests and telling me that I had to get this grade. They pushed me to grow by highlighting the areas where I needed to look within myself. I’d say that my time at PHS was pretty introspective because of the close-knit community and the amount of mentors that were available to me.

PHS: Did you have a favorite class or a favorite teacher? EN: Yes, I was really close with Jen [Bamesberger], my math teacher. I really liked math in Middle School. My friends and I would literally just go into Jen’s offi ce during lunch to talk to her about our problems and about how we felt about the lessons she was teaching and about how we felt about our classroom partners and everything. It was really great to have someone like that for me, because I felt she really cared about me and she cared about how I felt within the PHS community, not only just within her classroom. PHS: We were speaking with [Former Head of School] Susan Andrews and [Head of School] Lisa Jeli about you. They mentioned that you were always working on a service project when you were at PHS. Can you tell me about those? EN: I remember that at PHS, if I had an idea, I could really push forward with it. I think that helped me with seeing that I could really do anything I wanted, not [just] at PHS, but outside of PHS as well. I remember starting in seventh grade, every season of middle school I’d organize some kind of drive with [my classmate] Katherine Hansen. We organized a hygiene drive, a Halloween costume drive, and a food drive.

I also organized a Students of Color Club. I really bonded with everyone who showed up there and everyone who wanted to talk about their experiences as a student of color at PHS. We did things like go on fi eld trips to Chinatown and have discussions about how we felt. It really opened my eyes to what it felt like to develop my leadership skills so early, and not even realize that I was [doing it].

PHS: I know you’re very active in service work and social justice work. What sparked your interest in this work? EN: Throughout Middle School, I was a pretty shy person in classroom settings. I know that all of my teachers saw a lot of potential in me. Specifi cally, I remember Brian [Johnson] and Jen really believed in me. At graduation, every teacher gives a tribute speech about one of the graduating students. I remember there was a line in [Brian’s] speech about me that was something along the lines of, “Don’t be afraid to be the smartest kid in the room.”

That stuck with me for so many years, because in class, he would always ask, “Emily, why aren’t you raising your hand? I know you know the answer to this,” or “Why aren’t you sharing your insights?” They saw this potential in me that I had yet to see in myself.

When I came into high school, I realized that them having that belief in me was really important because I really felt like someone knew that I could do this. It was really hard, in the beginning, to just go to Lick and be surrounded by so many smart people and people who are super involved in their communities. But I remembered the people that believed in me, so I began putting myself out there and got involved with local government in San Francisco.

PHS: You are a member of the San Francisco Youth Commission. What does that entail? EN: The Youth Commission is a body of 17 youth that advise the mayor and the board of supervisors on issues related to youth. I was appointed by my district supervisor Ahsha Safai to advocate on what youth need within District 11 of San Francisco. We research issues within San Francisco and then we take policy action in order to make change in those issues. As a youth commissioner, I’ve worked on campaigns like Free Muni for All Youth and Car Free JFK.

The Youth Commission has been a really empowering experience for me because it shows that even though I don’t come from this abundant background of politics and money, I can still use my voice and my perspectives and make change in our community.

I’m also on the California Department of Education’s Youth Advisory Council. That’s a youth advisory council in the offi ce of State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. We work with California policy makers or people who work in nonprofi ts in California, and we advise them on education policy. I just started that this year, but so far, I’ve been able to speak on panels about students’ experiences with COVID and schools.

PHS: Do you think you want to work in politics after college? EN: I don’t know. People always ask me that. There’s a lot of drama in politics. I may be more interested in the nonprofi t fi eld or just policy research and teaching about policy maybe, but I don’t think I want to be a politician at this moment.

PHS: Tell me more about the youth organization you recently founded. EN: I started San Francisco Ignite Leadership in Youth (SFILY) where we plan leadership programs for Middle School students to teach them about social justice, civic issues within San Francisco, and socialemotional skills like public speaking, interpersonal communication, and collaboration. We’ve hosted three leadership programs in the past year and worked with over 120 middle school students.

I understand how you can create limitations for yourself by not believing in yourself enough. I was able to create this organization because I really believe that everyone should have a chance to grow into their best selves, no matter what background they come from. I’m just really grateful to be able to provide that opportunity for other students to grow into leaders like I did. PHS: We teach our students to be optimistic about the future and care about the environment and social justice issues. What advice would you give current middle school students about staying optimistic and fi ghting for the things that they believe in? EN: I would say, don’t get too fi xated on the present moment, because I think for everyone, there was so much ahead of them, whether they’re anticipating it or not. There’s going to be so many teachers and so many friends and so many mentors who will love you and who will believe in you and who will guide you in your formative years of high school. There are so many new experiences and so many opportunities that are going to shape you into who you want to be. Don’t think that the present is forever. There’s so much change ahead of you. Whether you like it or not, change is inevitable, and that change will ultimately make you into a better person. Don’t get so stuck in the present moment and be excited for all of the change that there is to come.

PHS: I have just one last question. For people of your generation, what do you think is the biggest opportunity that you have to make change in the world? EN: I think in order to make change, you really have to know yourself. You have to have really clear intentions on everything that you do. If you know yourself, you’ll be able to be really intentional with what you do. You’ll be able to know why you’re doing a certain thing, and that can take you so far. People will be drawn to you and want to help you because they will know that you’re doing this for a reason and you’re clearly passionate about what you do.