Getting to Know Jimmy Nguyen

By Nashe Harley

Jimmy Nguyen has spent a lot of time at Santa Ana College. First enrolling at SAC as a teenager, the alumnus has been working on campus for 11 years.

Promoted to full-time last fall, the administrative secretary for the fine and performing arts division doesn’t mind the bigger commitment because he loves getting to interact with people.

“I could never be an accountant. I could not sit at my desk for nine hours a day,” said Nguyen, whose own desk space is adorned with student sculptures and artwork painted by the dean’s son.

Going from working 19 hours a week to 40, Nguyen spends his days assisting Interim Dean Eve Kikawa with daily tasks like approving curriculums and attending meetings.

Larger projects like planning class schedules is a complicated and time consuming process that keeps him busy year-round. His current schedule is full — with work, supporting his parents and taking online courses for a BA at CSU Dominguez Hills.

A proud gay man, he is a trained representative for Safe Space and hopes to co-chair some of campus’s LGBT clubs when he has more time.

When he gets a break from education, Nguyen spends his free time watching movies and bowling in a league, where he bowls a 180 average. An animal lover, he and his partner have a Corgi and he donates monthly to rescue dog operations.

One day he hopes to travel to Paris, back to his native country of Vietnam and maybe Africa. “I want to go somewhere where I can come back to California and appreciate my life more,” Nguyen said.