From CNUSD to the Stars: Amanda Nguyen’s Incredible Journey

Not many can say that they’ve been to space, but for Amanda Nguyen, it was more than a dream. It was a promise.

As she floated above the Earth aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft, Amanda held onto a small piece of paper with the words “never, never, never, give up” written on it. The message was a reminder of her journey marked by resilience and a promise she made to herself years ago.

On April 14th, Amanda joined the first ever all-female crew on a Blue Origin spaceflight that traveled to the official boundaries of space. The mission marked a milestone not only in Amanda’s career, but also for representation becoming the first woman of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian descent to travel to space.

During her short time in space, Amanda gathered data for two experiments she is working on, one focusing on women’s health.

The Corona-Norco Unified School District is where your future takes flight, and for Amanda Nguyen, that’s exactly what happened.

Amanda, a graduate of Centennial High School, attributes much of her activism to the foundation she built there, which set the stage for the advocacy work she would eventually lead.

After graduating high school, her dedication and passion for science led her to Harvard University where she studied astrophysics. By the time she was 18, Amanda had already secured an internship with NASA, a remarkable achievement at such a young age.

However, Amanda’s path was not without challenges. During her last semester at Harvard, Amanda survived a traumatic assault that would cause her to put a hold on her dream of becoming an astronaut. But Amanda’s resilience wouldn’t let that be the end of her story. In 2014, Amanda started Rise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the rights of survivors and since then, has helped pass over 80 laws.

Amanda’s journey is a powerful reminder that no dream is too big and that even the stars aren’t the limit.