Loi Nguyen ’95, ’96, ’03
Major: Elementary Education, Elementary School Administration (MSE), Elementary Education (PHD)
Title: ESL and World Languages Specialist at Akron Public Schools
Dr. Loi Dang-Nguyen has been employed by the Akron Public Schools for the past 29 years. She has been a teacher, a middle school assistant principal, an elementary principal, and is currently an ESL (English as a Second Language) and World Languages learning specialist. She works in many capacities to ensure that English Learners (ELs) receive educational support and resources to help them acquire English and achieve academic success. She is married to Dr. Troy Nguyen, and they have two children, Tyler Nguyen and Lauren Nguyen.
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As a former refugee, she understands the challenges of immigrating to a new country and is aware of the language barriers that refugee families encounter that may hinder their adjustment into a new country and culture. Her parents escaped Vietnam in 1975 and arrived in Akron, Ohio, with 12 children. They were sponsored by The Chapel on Fir Hill under the pastorship of Rev. Dr. David Burnham. As refugees, her parents, Rev. and Mrs. Dang, started the Vietnamese Church in Akron, and her mother volunteered her time helping other Vietnamese refugees with translations. Her parents believe that “earning an education is the key to success in America” and encouraged all 12 children to focus on their education. Because of this strong belief in education, all 12 children graduated from college and 10 of them have earned their Master’s, Ph.D., or M.D. With her parents’ encouragement and her family’s extreme gratitude for the support they have received from The Chapel, Akron Public Schools, and the city of Akron, Dr. Dang-Nguyen and her siblings continue to volunteer locally and are committed to helping refugees and serving the community in many different roles.
Dr. Dang-Nguyen is a lifelong learner and proud graduate of Akron Public Schools and The University of Akron. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, a Master of Arts in Elementary Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Akron. She was Akron Public Schools’ 2002 District Teacher of the Year and Portage Path’s Building Teacher of the Year. She has presented at several state and local conferences. In addition, she has served on numerous local and state panels and presented topics such as family engagement, educational challenges and strategies to support English learners, and the refugee experience.