Featured Alumnus: Phong Nguyen
There is a cyclical nature of Campus Ministry as we welcome incoming students each September and see senior students graduate each June. In September 2013 we met a young man named Phong Nguyen. Phong studied Biology and was involved in many things on campus and in his local parish, Corpus Christi.
Last year we saw Phong cross the convocation platform. While many of his peers looked ahead to jobs or further studies, Phong had a different plan. He is currently serving with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) in Nashville, Tennessee. Phong has always held a strong Ignatian spirituality and fostered that in his time as a student with Campus Ministry.
Through this one year program, Phong lives in community with other volunteers who are involved in various advocacy agencies, non-profits, shelters, and transitional programs. Phong is currently volunteering as a Case-Manager with Oasis Centre, which is a non-profit working with youth in Nashville who are homeless or in crisis. Phong runs a Street Outreach Centre which provides a place for youth to get emergency needs (food, water, clothes, hygiene products) and do things like laundry, shower, and take a nap. They also provide a warming shelter during the winter months tailored towards youth 18-24 who would otherwise be sleeping on the streets. Phong is a case manager and meets with youth to help them with things like low-income housing applications, medical appointments, IDs, Social Security cards, and food stamps. He is also part of a team of volunteers who run a street outreach program where they actively roam around the city searching for young people who are experiencing homelessness so they know about the programming through Oasis Centre. They typically serve over 300 young people per year.
When catching up with Phong recently, he shared about the importance of Campus Ministry in his discernment. He said that he especially remembers the Serve the Streets campaign, “which I feel really inspired me to work with homelessness.” He also noted that having people who actively lived their faith was a reminder for him to do better.
We are so proud to see the work that Phong is doing this year and invite you to keep him and his ministry in your prayers.