Join us on International Day of Peace for a showing of the featurette film, a post-showing discussion, and a walking tour of the mural dedicated to our presenter with Nga Vương-Sandoval. She will be sharing her refugee experience that has influenced her human rights advocacy to become a leader for refugee rights and other forcibly displaced people at home in Denver and abroad, including being selected as the US Refugee Representative at a recent convening hosted by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland.

All pre-registered attendees will be automatically entered into a raffle to win original origami earrings crafted by Nga Vương-Sandoval

AGENDA & LOCATION

• 4:30pm: Meet at the mural of Nga Vương-Sandoval by Thomas “Detour” Evans. Participants can then choose to walk 20 minutes with the group to the Posner Center.
  Located on Champa Street between 25th Street and 24th Street
  
• 5:30pm: Meet at the Posner Center for the film showing and discussion. We will provide light snacks and drinks.

PRESENTER

Nga Vương-Sandoval

Nga Vương-Sandoval and her family fled their homeland due to the Việt Nam War and became refugees. They were displaced in refugee camps before resettling in the U.S. and were known as “boat people.”

Nga is the U.S. Refugee Advisory Board Project Manager. The mission of the U.S. Refugee Advisory Board is to ensure consistent and impactful engagement with refugees and other forcibly displaced populations through international policy and participation in decision-making forums in the global refugee arena. She concurrently serves as Immigration & DEI Advisor at 3i Law Firm. Her prior professional experience has included serving at Colorado Department of Law, the state homeland security office specializing in counterintelligence and counterterrorism, and working as adjunct faculty at two universities. Her scholarly book reviews have been published in Oxford University Press.

As a Việtnamese refugee, Nga embraces her heritage and refugee experience and is empathetic to the plight and struggle of other underrepresented communities. She is a TEDx Presenter and is active in a number of advocacy roles, such as being a member of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders; a Refugee Congress Honorary Delegate and is a founding member and public speaker with the Colorado Refugee Speakers Bureau. She also holds notable roles with Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, and the Denver Elections Advisory Committee.

Nga was the recipient of the 2021 Refugee Congress Excellence Award, a peer-nominated award that recognizes exemplary role models who dedicate themselves to advocacy, community engagement, capacity building, and mentorship. She met with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and advocated to raise the Presidential Determination. She was honored with a mural by iconic artist/muralist I Am Detour (Thomas Evans) in the historic Five Points District in Denver, Colorado. Nga has also been recognized for her advocacy work by many notable entities, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), honored with the 2021 Colorado Attorney General’s Award for “Outstanding Community Service” for her tireless advocacy for underrepresented communities and was recognized by USA for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (USA for UNHCR) in the feature story “Five Inspiring Former Refugees Share What International Women’s Day Means to Them”. You can also find her NVS Cre-Asian origami line that’s sold at Ruby’s Market in Denver.

MODERATOR

Karen Bartlett

Karen Bartlett was put on this planet to help others, to inspire authenticity and liberation in everyone she meets. An entrepreneur, educator, coach, and force for social change, Karen brings over 25 years of experience as a social activist to bear as a partner at the Kite+Dart Group, the founder of Ascension Energetics, and podcast host of Now & Center: Entrepreneurial Voices from the Margin.

Karen set out on a mission to inspire like-minded souls to reassess their relationship with their work and guide them on their journey to rediscover joy and fulfillment, and now she has helped hundreds of people become stronger leaders, smarter educators, and unstoppable social activists.