1. Blog Home
  2. Lifestyle
Alivia Nguyen: From "Please Don't" to "Proud"

Lifestyle

Alivia Nguyen: From "Please Don't" to "Proud"

May 1, 2025

Alivia Nguyen's story isn't just a personal reflection; it's an invitation to anyone who's ever felt like they didn't quite fit in. Growing up in Huntsville, Alabama as a Vietnamese American, Alivia navigated a childhood where her identity often felt like something to hide.

Students wearing dn8 at reading with a rapper hq

"I remember having to cry to my mom, telling her, 'Please don't pack me anything related to our culture for lunch. I'll get made fun of,'" Alivia, now 22, recalls. "Or I remember dying my hair so often growing up, trying to look like someone I wasn't," she adds. These aren't just memories; they're glimpses into the struggle many young people face when straddling different cultural worlds.”



Alivia's parents, who immigrated to Alabama from a part of Vietnam not known for its wealth seeking better opportunities, instilled a strong foundation in her. "They built their own name and community, so I'm very proud of them,” Alivia says, speaking to the resilience and determination that shaped her upbringing.

Despite knowing after high school that she could follow in her parent’s footsteps by working in the family nail business, Alivia chose to pursue higher education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, double majoring in sports communication and business administration. Through her studies, a new path began to unfold.



Her passion for sports, initially just an interest, evolved into a powerful drive for representation. "On TV, you never really saw a lot of women, especially women of color,” Alivia explains. “… I knew I wanted to take that opportunity… and be the change that I wanted to see.” This ambition became a catalyst for her to embrace her identity, not shy away from it.

Jarren Small at his high school, where RWAR impacts students of all ages

The journey wasn't a straight line. "I would say just it wasn't until recently that I discovered that I was proud to be Vietnamese," Alivia shares, bringing a voice to the internal battle and gradual process of shedding self-doubt. She describes feeling caught between worlds, neither "Asian enough" nor "whitewashed" enough.



Ironically, social media, often seen as a source of comparison and insecurity, became an unexpected bridge for Alivia. “Strangely enough, I stay connected to my culture through TikTok. There's a very, very big Asian-American Pacific Islander community on TikTok,” she says. "I feel like that really helps me get in tune with my culture… it's kind of like a mirror – if you see who you are in the mirror… you feel more community. You feel like you're not alone.”

Alivia's generation is rewriting the narrative. "I feel like a lot of the younger generations of Asian-Americans have often been a lot more confident about who they are, I've recognized," she observes. There's a growing sense of pride, a refusal to be silenced or stereotyped.



Alivia's message is both simple and profound: embrace who you are. "At the end of the day, as long as you're yourself, it really does not matter what other people think," she asserts. It's a powerful reminder that self-acceptance is the foundation of true confidence.

Student with sneaker on books at RWAR headquarters

Her journey also highlights the need for better representation. "I feel like a lot of opportunities that Asian-Americans have, they're kind of overlooked by a lot of people just because of pre assumptions that people have," Alivia explains. She also calls for a deeper understanding of cultural sensitivity, particularly regarding cultural appropriation. "I think a key takeaway is to just kind of realize like that cultural appropriation plays a really big role in fashion today… people kind of misuse it, and they don't realize the sentiment behind it,” she states.



Alivia Nguyen's story is more than just a personal narrative. It's an empowering message of self-acceptance, the importance of representation, and the power of finding your voice. “I am a proud Vietnamese American,” she declares, a sentiment that resonates far beyond her own experience.

You Might Also Like to Read

Recently Viewed

View All Articles