Centre student’s hobby leads to Columbia University research presentation
Nam Nguyen’s love for genealogy and the unraveling of family histories began long before he arrived at Centre College.
In fact, he taught himself to read Sino-Vietnamese text (writing that uses adapted Chinese characters) at age 10 so he could better research his ancestors.
It’s a passion not shared by his peers or family back home in Vietnam, but one he’s found support in pursuing at Centre.
“My family thinks I’m unusual,” Nguyen laughed. “Even my friends back home think that. I guess it is an unusual hobby.”
But earlier this spring, Nguyen learned about Digitizing Vietnam, an international history project based within Columbia University’s Vietnamese Studies Program. Digitizing Vietnam seeks to advance Vietnamese Studies by collecting an archive of teaching tools, including digital collections focused on the country.
Within a month of contacting the professor overseeing the project, the Centre College sophomore was presenting his work at a gathering of scholars and students at Columbia’s Butler Library.
“It was really huge for me,” Nguyen said. “It’s a recognition that I never expected for the work I’ve been doing. I didn’t know about the Vietnamese studies programs in the U.S. Now I feel like, ‘Wow, this whole field is really big.’”
This realization also helped Nguyen connect with a new network of people who share his passion for researching the history and people of his home country — people who encourage his interest and further study.
“They’re just like me,” he said. “I feel like I found the people that I’ve been looking for.”
That feeling was a breakthrough after a full year spent digging into the past of one historic figure he discovered while working alone in the basement of Nevin Residence Hall.
Nguyen’s research and translation focuses on the writings of Vietnamese priest Filipe Bin, known as Father Filipe do Rosario, who traveled to Portugal as an envoy in 1796 and died there nearly 40 years later, having never seen his homeland again.
Nguyen learned about Father Felipe while studying one of his own ancestors, another Vietnamese priest, Saint Emmanuel Nguyễn Văn Triệu, who was martyred by beheading in 1798. The two priests were close friends and attended the same seminary.
Father Felipe’s story captivated Nguyen, who was overcome with sympathy for the priest’s plight after he was stranded in Portugal due to divisions within the Catholic church.
“In his writings, he expressed that he was never able to see his family, to see his brothers and his nephews,” Nguyen said. “Everybody in Vietnam forgot about him, even his closest friends. People from his hometown, his village and his parishes forgot about him.
“I have a feeling of empathy. I’m living in the U.S. right now, and I haven’t been home for two years. I think about what it must have felt like to be abroad for 30 years, never speaking your native tongue to anyone else.”
Nguyen takes pride in ensuring Father Felipe is no longer forgotten. He has been tasked by Digitizing Vietnam to be a database host and manage the translation of the priest’s writings.
“It feels wonderful to me that I was able to bring his writings to academia and to Vietnamese Catholics, and also Vietnamese people in general,” Nguyen said.
“I’m so glad that, at last, Father Felipe is now being recognized, and more researchers are looking into his writings.”
Nguyen is also working with Associate Professor of History John Harney on a paper for submission to an academic journal.
He arrived at Centre via the Lincoln Scholars Program planning to major in Biology and pursue genetic research. But, like many Centre students before him, Nam is adapting his plans to pursue his true passion, having recently chosen to major in History and pursue a minor in Linguistics.
Now his future lies in uncovering the secrets of the past and sharing them with the world.
“I didn’t expect my journey here at Centre to turn out this way,” he said with a laugh.
