People to Watch 2023: Nga Vương-Sandoval, Welcome Committee

On a Tuesday evening, Nga Vương-Sandoval was bringing essential supplies to a drop-off center for Venezuelan migrants, who have been coming to Denver in large groups since the beginning of December. She was stunned when she learned that the site was already at capacity for donations and was directed to take them to another drop-off site. There she found people of all demographics offering aid, and a staffer thanked her. "I said, 'It's okay. It's really okay,'" she recalls. "'You don't know this about me, but I'm a refugee, too.'"

Vương-Sandoval left Vietnam with her family as a refugee in the 1970s and came to Colorado; she's dedicated her life to raising awareness and finding solutions for the global refugee crisis. The UN Refugee Agency reported 89.3 forcibly displaced people in 2021, including 4.4 million Venezuelans. Last year, Vương-Sandoval was hired as the first refugee project manager for the U.S. Refugee Advisory Board for Refugee Congress; she's also the honorary Colorado delegate for Refugee Congress and won the 2021 Refugee Congress Excellence Award. In May, she received a Badge of Honor from the UN Refugee Agency. She was also the first refugee boardmember of Lutheran Family Services, a resettlement agency whose affiliate agencies helped her own family members when they arrived in the U.S.

"When I looked around, I knew I was very different from other kids," Vương-Sandoval says. "I was one of the very few kids of color in my classes, and that really, for me, left an impression, because I knew...that I would forever be in the minority."

That's just one of the reasons that she believes it is important for refugees to be involved at the highest level of decision-making regarding policies and protections for displaced people. "For so long, that was not the general consensus for those working in this field," she explains. "The proposals that were being brought forth to the table in the different spaces I was in were being brought from people who have an understanding through either a scholarly or professional lens. But what was severely missing, and the most critical piece of it all, is having the lived experiences to ensure that the decisions are centered on those we are serving, and are centered on experiences from those who would be able to have that authentic and genuine knowledge."

Without having someone with lived experience in refugee crisis leadership, policy decisions tend to slide away from the root of the issue. "That's why many of these solutions have not been effective or durable," explains Vương-Sandoval. "That's why many of these solutions have been a very temporary Band-Aid and are, at times, missing the mark."

She notes that "when we say we have lived experience, people automatically assume that we don't have the professional expertise. But for us, it's not just based upon what we feel our particular community needs. It's also the fact that we have the expertise and skills in tandem with what we've experienced, which makes it more effective than just one or the other. It's not just our lived experience; it's also our professional expertise."

Why are refugees seeking out this city? "It tells me that we've made it very apparent that we won't deny welcome and we won't deny dignity here in Denver, which is something I'm really proud of for our city and our state," Vương-Sandoval says. "I also recognize the fact that there are very similar things that are happening now with Venezuelans who are seeking safety, compared to when I arrived: It's a collective effort on everybody's part." Even so, she'd like to see the government more involved to "ensure that the funding is there and they set up emergency response hubs for people as temporary safe quarters."

And to the people coming here, she advises: "Be proud of who you are. Make our ancestors proud. And always know that if you have the ability to help others, then it's your responsibility to do so."

Other people to watch in 2023:

"Jami Duffy, Leader of the Band"
"Kourtny Garrett, Downtown Defender"
"Daniel and Luis Ramirez, Hosts With the Most"
"Michael Gadlin, Arts Ambassador"
"Penelope Wong, Top Shef"
"Cole Chandler, Speaker for the House"
"Michael Spencer: Anchor Man"
"Robert Kenney, Power Broker"
"Scott Gilmore, Playground King"