Lincoln Alumnus: In it to Nguyen it

“As a candidate there is a lot to do, and no matter how much you get done, you always feel like you need to do more.”  That is what Lincoln alumnus, Richard Nguyen, said in regards to the work done during his campaign for a position on the Campbell Union High School District School Board.

With three seats available and four candidates running, all candidates, including Wendy Dillingham-Plew, Stacey Brown and Matthew Dean, are campaigning hard to secure a position. When asked why he decided to run for local public office, Nguyen said, “helping students succeed with their goals is my passion.”  He hopes to reach out to more students in other districts through the school board position.

Although he has graduated, Nguyen maintains an active role at Lincoln High School, volunteering as an attorney coach for the Mock Trial team and serving as a member of the Lincoln High School Foundation. He even helped to implement the “Thinkin’ Lincoln” public policy contest, which awarded educational grants to the winning Lincoln students. Nguyen attributes his desire to stay connected to the school to his positive experiences with Lincoln’s programs during his years as a student.

Though he is running for a seat on the Campbell School Board, many of Nguyen’s volunteers are Lincoln students. “I have student volunteers precinct walking on the weekends,” said Nguyen.  Lion Tales met with one Lincoln student, Chau Le, who described her involvement in the campaign, “As a volunteer for his campaign, I’ve gone door to door trying to convince people to vote for Richard. It’s a really simple job, and I’ve never had a bad experience with anyone while precinct walking for the campaign.” Le said that she chose to participate because “Richard personally reached out… for help, and I wanted the experience.”

Nguyen’s campaign is just one example of the positive environment that the community at Lincoln fosters.  The connection between past and present Lincoln students also shows just how much of an impact Lincoln makes on an individual’s life. “I feel very blessed,” said Nguyen of the encouragement and support he has received from the community at Lincoln.

Student participation in Nguyen’s campaign, as well as the campaigns of others, not only fosters community values but also educates those volunteering.  “Volunteering for a campaign is a chance to learn about the way things work in the area where we live,” said Lincoln Government teacher, George Adas. This is clearly the case for Le, who said, “I’ve learned a lot about how to raise awareness for important issues, as well as how to appeal to people.”  Le also noted that in addition to her people skills, her knowledge of local politics and elections has increased.  Both Adas and Le hope that Lincoln students see the success of a Lincoln alumni as a “source of inspiration.”

As for Lincoln students interested in politics, Nguyen said, “First, don’t aspire to be a politician for the sake of being a politician. Aspire to do good.”