People
Thi Nguyen
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Pronouns: she/her/hers
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Doctoral Candidate, CIDE
Thi Nguyen (pronounced: tee-noo-wen) is a doctoral candidate in Comparative and International Development Education at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She was born and raised in Hanoi, Vietnam but calls Sunnyvale, California her home.
M.A., International Education Management, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, 2020
B.A., dual majors in International Relations and Communications, University of California – San Diego, 2019
- Critical Internationalization
- International Student Mobility
- Sustainability Education
- Community Cultural Wealth
- Transnational Identity
As an emerging scholar, I am interested in issues of critical internationalization in higher education. Driven by my schooling experiences as a first-generation immigrant from Vietnam, I have committed my academic career to dismantling patterns of social injustices embedded in the global engagement culture at US higher education institutions. My dissertation focuses on documenting life stories of Vietnamese international undergraduate students in the US and constructing an asset-based framework to capture how these students make sense of their identities and post-graduation trajectories.
Another area of research that I am actively involved in pertains to the intersection between global student mobility and climate change. Through my work at the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, I strive everyday to become a more proactive agent in the ongoing interdisciplinary movement toward environmental justice, be it through managing sustainability-focused experiential learning opportunities or coaching sustainability-minded undergraduate student leaders.
Before coming to Minneapolis, Minnesota for my Ph.D. program, I resided all over California for 10 years. I have previously served as an international student programs coordinator, a citizen diplomacy professional, and a graduate admissions counselor.
Courses Taught
CLA 1005: Introduction to Liberal Arts Learning
CLA 2005: Liberal Arts Education and Responsible Citizenship
OLPD 1303: Leadership in Organizational Contexts
Awards
- Elmer & Olga Hauge Endowed Fellowship, University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (2024-2025)
- Merit Scholarship, Middlebury Institute of International Studies (2019-2020)
DeJaeghere, J., Dao, V., & Nguyen, T. (2024). Education systems change: Cultural beliefs and practices that support and inhibit deep learning in Vietnam. Journal of Educational Change, 25, 555-577. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-024-09505-0
Campbell, A. C., Nguyen, T., & Stewart, M. (2023). Promoting international student mobility for sustainability? Navigating conflicting realities and emotions of international educators. Journal of Studies in International Education, 27(4), 621-637. https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153221121386
Book Chapters
Janebová, E., Johnstone, C., & Nguyen, T. (in press). Exploring incoming mobility through a critical and inclusive internationalization lens. In J. Beelen (Ed.), Critical Mobilities. Routledge.
Nguyen, T. (2023). “Decentralization with direction”: Fragmented and transversal approaches to internationalizing higher education administration. In E. Ahn (Ed.), Wisconsin in the World: Internationalization at UW-Madison (pp. 425-445). Information Age Publishing.
Campbell, A. & Nguyen, T. (2023). Climate action and aspirations for international education professionals. In K. McBride & P. T. Nikula (Eds.), Sustainable Education Abroad (pp. 121–136). Forum on Education Abroad.
Public Reports & Other Online Publications
Freeman, C., Nguyen, T., & Zafirovska, S. (2024). Youth Excel 2021 Report: Identifying trends, innovations, and locally appropriate opportunities for supporting youth mental health in East and Southern Africa. YouthLead.org by USAID. https://www.youthlead.org/resources/identifying-trends-innovations-and-locally-appropriate-opportunities-supporting-youth-mental-health-east-and-south-africa
Nguyen, T. (2020). Examining English-only policy in an international student support program. Case Studies in International Education, 1(2), 38-40. https://csiepub.org/index.php/csie/article/view/40
Nguyen, T. (2020, October 30). What I have learned from suppressing my bilingualism. We Linguistically. https://welinguistically.com/suppressing-my-bilingualism/
Works in Progress
Nguyen, T. (paper in progress). Exploring the ‘American stories’ of Vietnamese international students in the United States. Special journal issue on U.S.-Vietnam relations since 1975 by UC Berkeley Center for Southeast Asian Studies and University of Oregon US-Vietnam Research Center.
Nguyen, T. (paper in progress). Study abroad for climate justice: a discourse analysis of sustainability engagement in international higher education. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad.
Conferences
Nguyen, T. (2025, September 18). Exploring the ‘American stories’ of Vietnamese international students in the United States. International Symposium on the Challenges of Peace: US-Vietnam Relations since 1975, Berkeley, CA, US
Nguyen, T., Pasquini, M., & Ponce-Taylor, D. (2025, March 20). When words matter: an eco-centric analysis of language in education abroad. 2025 Forum on Education Abroad (FEA) Annual Conference, Toronto, ON, Canada
Nguyen, T. (2023, November 16). Study abroad for climate justice: a discourse analysis of sustainability engagement of international higher education. Association of Study in Higher Education (ASHE) 48th Conference, Minneapolis, MN, US
King, K., Stockman, A., Nguyen, T., Fiegen, A., & Aziz, J. (2023, October 28). Equity and access to Minnesota Bilingual Seals. Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures (MCTLC) Fall Conference 2023, Minneapolis, MN, US
Nguyen, T. & Freeman, C. (2023, September 14). Identifying trends, innovations, and locally appropriate opportunities for supporting youth mental health in Eastern and Southern Africa. USAID Youth Excel Engagement Summit, Accra, Ghana
Campbell, A. C., Nguyen, T., & Stewart, M. (2021, November 26). Going Global vs. Going Green: International educators’ perceptions and concerns. CANIE’s COP26 Climate Action Week, Virtual
Campbell, A. C. & Nguyen, T. (2021, April 25-May 2). Lack of information, not lack of will: Rethinking international student mobility amid global warming. Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) 65th Conference, Virtual
Campbell, A.C. & Nguyen, T. (2020, May 12). Climate change and international student mobility: A literature review. Climate Action Network for International Educators (CANIE)’ 1st Climate Action Summit, Virtual
Punteney, K., Nguyen, T., Magyar, B., & Murata, K. (2019, November 20). Internationalization from the perspective of partners. 2019 NAFSA Region XII Conference, Pasadena, CA, US
Invited Talks
Tremblay, C.J., Campbell, A., Nguyen, T., & Stewart, M. (2024, June 21). Researcher interview: International education practitioners on climate change and hopeful ways forward. ‘Foundations of Climate Justice and Internationalization’ Online Course by Alethea Global Cooperative.
Nguyen, T. (2024, April 29). How US study abroad discusses sustainability. Spring 2024 Webinar of Study Abroad & International Students Special Interest Group under the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES).
Cameron, S., Campbell, A., Nguyen, T., Sorenson, M. & Wick, D. (2021, January 28). Online Panel Discussion: How to succeed in virtual teams. Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
Tremblay, C. J., Campbell, A., Nguyen, T., & Stewart, M. (2021, September 21). Episode 11: Climate anxiety is real for practitioners too!. CANIE Climate Dialogues Podcast Series.
