Newsletter 5: Fueling Change - Meet the Impact Fellows & Fundraising Kick-Off!
1 August 2023
TL;DR
Land Talks: We recently had a productive meeting with government officials from Binh Dinh Province to explore the possibility of establishing a UWC Vietnam campus.
New Advisory Board Member: HackerNoon's COO and UWC Mahindra College alumna, Linh Dao Smooke, joins our advisory board.
Team Expansion: Two inaugural UWC Vietnam Impact Fellows, Duyen Le and Loc Le, join the core team
Donor Spotlight: Stephen Turban and Dhruva Bhat share their UWC inspiration and commitment to our mission.
Greetings and happy August!
In hopes of providing some respite from the heat, here is a photo of the icy Norwegian fjords from UWC Red Cross Nordic:
As we navigate what is shaping up to be the hottest summer on record, I hope you are finding ways to stay cool and comfortable. Despite the heat, our work on the UWC Vietnam Campus Project continues unabated—perhaps with a heightened inquiry on what a sustainable future means for Vietnam and the world. I am thrilled to bring you some exciting updates from the past month.
Meeting with the People’s Committee of Binh Dinh Province
Recently, Mai and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to the scenic city of Quy Nhon to discuss the possibility of introducing a UWC education to the province with members of the People’s Committee of Binh Dinh. We found our discussions with Mr. Lam Hai Giang, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee, and other members to be both enlightening and energizing, and are grateful for their interest and support. While the exact location is still under discussion, we are optimistic about a potential collaboration with the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE).
Located in Quy Nhon, ICISE is an extraordinary center for science and education, renowned for hosting national and international conferences and specialized professional colloquia. Some of their most notable events include the Advanced Summer School on Quantum Field Theory and Quantum Gravity, NASA Vietnam Week, and selective conferences for doctoral students. Impressively, ICISE has welcomed over 20 Nobel laureates, Field Medalists, and Dirac Medalists to date.
We eagerly look forward to our return in September for the Science for Peace conference, which is co-hosted by ICISE and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). This Geneva-based global organization of national parliaments is dedicated to promoting peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide.
To delve deeper into our recent discussions, click here to read the full press release.
Introducing Linh Dao Smooke to the UWC Vietnam Campus Project Advisory Board
Linh Dao Smooke runs HackerNoon, a tech publication with 45k+ writers and 5-8M+ monthly readers and also a software company built by a small team of 20-ish talented individuals. HackerNoon raised almost $3M so far, valuing the company at $50M.
Linh and her husband David (HackerNoon founder and CEO) proudly remain the majority shareholders of HackerNoon after 3 rounds of funding including 1300+ shareholders, notably Garry Tan (Initialized, YC), Alexis Ohanian (Reddit), Stefan Thomas (Ripple, Coil), and more.
Previously, Linh was head of Asia Marketing at Minerva University ($100M in funding) and she also founded the first creativity camp in Vietnam, CKP, which continues to empower Viet students 10 years in. Her experience in education has been instrumental in how Hacker Noon onboards, nurtures, and serves its community of writers and sponsors. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in International Development and is a graduate of the Mahindra United World College India (MUWCI). She is thrilled to be giving back to the UWC movement, which has proven to be a gift that continues to give.
Linh makes sure the light is on at HackerNoon. Since she joined full time in 2017, HackerNoon’s traffic, revenue, and team quality accelerated and grew many folds.
In her spare time, she sleeps. As a mother of two & an entrepreneur, she doesn’t really have spare time.
Introducing the two inaugural UWC Vietnam Impact Fellows
I am thrilled to announce the newest members of the UWC Vietnam Campus Project core team — Duyen and Loc! Please join us in extending a warm welcome to both of them. We kept on coming back to these two names during the intense selection process, and we couldn't be more excited about the unique strengths and talents they bring to our project. We are genuinely excited to work with them and see their ideas and initiatives take flight!
Duyen is a fresh, motivated, and active graduate of Fulbright University Vietnam, with a degree in Psychology and Social Studies. Her lifelong goal is to transform education systems to make education accessible and quality to all children. That goal has motivated Duyen to become a UWC Vietnam Impact Fellow. Prior to joining the UWC Vietnam Campus Project, Duyen had humble experiences in the education field. Her first internship was at an Ed-tech company named SAY in Seoul, Korea. At SAY, Duyen helped build and manage their social media and develop B2B partnerships. She also worked at a boutique consulting firm based in Hanoi, helping a non-profit university impact thousands of students across Southeast Asia. Duyen is currently working on the Google for Education (GfE) project, launching GfE pilots around the world and building and executing GfE go-to-market plan for the Vietnam market. Besides work, Duyen is leading a project, EM-IN, that builds interactive games to help teach children social-emotional learning. Duyen is also the second author of the research “Experiences of gender-based violence service providers in Vietnam: Grounded theory exploratory study” in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma. In her free time, Duyen enjoys badminton, yoga, biking, and hiking.
Loc was born and raised in Nha Trang, one of the most beautiful beach cities in Vietnam. His passion for his hometown, its unique culture and environment has instilled in him a strong belief in an education rooted in curiosity and love for nature. With 6 years of experience in documentary photography and exploring the world of classic literature, Loc is now working on several personal photo projects and expanding his knowledge in other areas of philosophical understanding. Eventually, he plans to pursue a degree in Public Policy, which he sees as a stepping stone to legal understanding. He hopes to use his skills to bring knowledge to the surface and help create more informed decisions.
Fundraising Efforts
Our fundraising journey towards establishing a three-year UWC campus in Vietnam began in earnest this July, and we're absolutely thrilled to share that our cause has been met with heartfelt support. Your generosity and shared vision have been instrumental in igniting the spark for this transformational project.
In these initial stages, we're inviting visionaries to become one of the first 100 Founders of UWC Vietnam. This significant commitment involves a contribution of USD 100K or more towards our mission. But it's more than a monetary commitment - as a Founder, you'd play an integral role in shaping our future, leveraging your professional expertise through committee work and board service. Founders are not just donors; they are partners in creating a brighter future for our community through education.
If our cause resonates with you, or if you know others who may be interested in becoming a potential Founder, we'd love to connect. Please feel free to reach out to Sam Jeong directly, and we would be delighted to share our pitch deck with you.
Even if the role of Founder may not be the right fit, we welcome all levels of support and are eager to speak with anyone who would like to contribute to our mission in their own way. Every contribution, regardless of size, helps us move closer to our dream of bringing a UWC campus to Vietnam. Your support, in every form, will make a difference.
UWC Vietnam Donor Spotlight: Featuring our Generous Supporters!
We're excited to present the first edition of our new monthly segment "Donor Spotlight," where we take the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the generous individuals, organizations, and partnerships that make our mission possible. Today, we are honored to highlight Stephen Turban and Dhruva Bhat, co-founders of Lumiere Education.
From Stephen Turban:
UWC transformed the trajectory of my life back in high school in Missouri. I remember my English teacher, Mr. Webel, taking me aside one day and encouraging me to explore the UWC national committee. It was the first time I considered the prospect of studying abroad in high school, and although I eventually became an exchange student in Taipei instead of attending a UWC, the mission of UWC stuck with me.
Fast forward almost 15 years, my Lumiere co-founder Dhruva and I spend almost all of our time thinking about international education. Through the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, an online research program for high school students, we have been able to support many scholarship students from UWCs across the world. Zebo Furqatzoda, a UWC Singapore alum, is a remarkable example, having authored a compelling research paper on the UWC movement and the remarkable impact of national committees in cultivating a dedicated volunteer base.
When we discovered the UWC project aimed at establishing a school in Vietnam, Dhruva and I knew we had to contribute. Vietnam has a wealth of extremely talented students, yet there are few institutions that foster the kind of global perspective and critical inquiry synonymous with UWC's mission. On behalf of Lumiere, Dhruva and I are thrilled to make a donation towards this cause and extend our support to help establish this transformative school in Vietnam.
We cannot express enough how thankful we are for supporters like Stephen and Dhruva. We look forward to highlighting more incredible supporters in the next edition of our "Donor Spotlight." Thank you all for your continued support and commitment to the UWC Vietnam Campus Project. We couldn't do this without you!
Want to support the UWC Vietnam Campus Project?
Here are three easy ways:
Spread the word! Share our newsletter with friends, family, and colleagues who might be interested in our cause.
Connect with our project director, Sam Jeong. Schedule a call to learn more about our mission and how you can get involved.
Help us improve! Give us feedback on our pitch deck. Respond to or comment on this newsletter to receive a copy and share your thoughts.
Looking for more ways to support us? Consider making a donation, volunteering your time and skills, or hosting a fundraising event. Thank you for your support!
Yours,
UWC Vietnam Campus Project
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