Lunch & Learn Series: Growing Up Vietnamese American in Little Saigon

AAARCC Lunch & Learn Series An Immigrant Family Narrative: Growing Up Vietnamese American in Little Saigon

Thursday, October 29 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AAARCC (915 5th St)

Session Description: Vietnamese American experiences are often understood through narratives of war, refugee displacement, and resettlement. Yet, these narratives tell only part of the story and fail to capture resilience and community. Drawing from her experiences growing up as a Vietnamese American woman in Orange County, California and her reflections on Suburban Refugees: Class and Resistance in Little Saigon, Phoebe Pham explores the complex histories of Vietnamese American communities beyond the conventional refugee narrative. Integrating personal experiences with psychological perspectives on ethnic identity and belonging, this presentation considers how subsequent generations inherit, navigate, and reinterpret stories that have shaped their communities. Attendees are invited to reflect on the histories embedded in their own communities and the stories they hope to preserve.

Speaker Bio: Phoebe Pham is a second-generation Vietnamese American female doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Purdue University. She received dual bachelor’s degrees in Psychological Science and Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine. Reflecting on her lived experiences growing up in Little Saigon, she continues to explore how cultural narratives shape overall well-being. Her research and clinical interests include Asian American mental health, familial dynamics, and ethnic identity. As an aspiring family and play therapist, she hopes to return to her community in the near future to provide mental health services for Vietnamese Americans.

About the Lunch & Learn Series: The AAARCC hosts a Lunch and Learn guest speaker series each semester on select Thursdays from 12pm-1pm at the AAARCC (915 5th St.) or a campus-specific location (listed for each session). Doors open at 11:45am and the presentation starts at 12pm. Cannot join in-person? Consider joining us online over Teams using this registration: aaarcc.short.gy/LL1029online

This Lunch & Learn Session is co-sponsored by Purdue Graduate Student Government and partially funded by SFAB. All the AAARCC programming is free and open to all Boilermakers.

Flyer: aaarcc.short.gy/LL1029

Header photo credit: Nguyen Le