A Year of Anchoring and Rising: Reflections from Outgoing NCVAA President Michael Nguyen
A year ago, I stepped into the role of President of the National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys with a simple conviction: that Vietnamese American legal professionals are not just participants in American civic life — we are essential to it. As I prepare to pass the baton at our 20th Anniversary Conference in San Francisco, I find myself full of gratitude, full of pride, and honestly, a little in awe of what this community is capable of.
Showing Up When It Mattered Most
This was not a quiet year to lead a civil rights organization. As the political climate grew more hostile toward immigrants, toward communities of color, and toward the very foundations of our constitutional order, NCVAA did not sit on the sidelines. We signed onto NAPABA's amicus brief defending Birthright Citizenship before the Supreme Court — because the question of who belongs in this country is not abstract for us. It is personal. It is our parents' story. It is our story.
When immigrants across the country needed to know their rights, we acted. We helped translate Know Your Rights resources into Vietnamese, making sure our communities had the information they needed in the language they speak. Legal knowledge is power, and we made it more accessible.
Building Community Across the Country
One of the things I am most proud of this year is how much we showed up for each other — not just in policy, but in person. From our Lunar New Year Group Dinner in Houston in February, where members gathered to celebrate, connect, and ring in the Year of the Horse together, to the 20th Anniversary Conference this week here in San Francisco, we have built and strengthened a national network that is greater than the sum of its parts. That Houston evening — organized with such care by Board Members Vi Tran and Kristy Le alongside AABA Houston's Cindy Dinh, An Phan, Yenmi Tang, Jeannie Nguyen, and so many others — is exactly the kind of community-building that makes NCVAA more than a professional organization. We are a family.
A Conference to Remember
Our 20th Anniversary Conference — themed Anchored in Heritage, Rising Toward Justice — has been the centerpiece of this year, and it could not have come together without the extraordinary leadership of our conference co-chairs, Trang Do and Sabrina Punia-Ly. They gave everything to make this week possible, and it shows in every detail. I am also deeply grateful to our sponsors, whose generosity made this conference a reality and whose investment in NCVAA is an investment in the future of Vietnamese American legal professionals everywhere.
A Personal Milestone
I came to San Francisco alone, twenty years ago, for law school. I built a life here, a career here, a community here. Serving as NCVAA's second openly gay President has meant something to me that I struggle to put into words. I hope it has meant something to others who are watching — younger attorneys, law students, people who are wondering whether there is space for all of who they are in this profession. There is. You belong here.
I am overjoyed to pass the gavel to Huy Nguyen, who will become NCVAA's third openly gay President. That continuity is not incidental. It is a statement about who we are and who we are becoming.
Looking Forward
I am not going anywhere. As Immediate Past President, I will remain on the board, committed to this organization and this community. There is too much work left to do — on voting rights, on immigrant justice, on building the kind of power that protects Vietnamese Americans not just in moments of crisis, but for generations to come.
It has been the honor of a professional lifetime to serve as your President. Thank you for trusting me with this role. Thank you for showing up. And thank you for reminding me, every single day, why this work matters.
With gratitude and pride,
Michael Nguyen Outgoing President, National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys