New Year, New You with Open Book Speakers from CultureALL

Join us for two separate sessions with unique Open Books presented by CultureALL. 

Open Book is a community project that creates connections and builds social cohesion through story sharing where People are "Books" and You are a "Reader."  In this series we will be featuring stories of individuals who have experienced a radical change in life trajectory. Open to anyone 18+. 

No registration required.

Our "Books" for this event are Alex Rice and Ving Nguyen

Alex Rice is a West Des Moines native who left Iowa for college and lived all over the US — and on three other continents — before returning home to Central Iowa in 2021. She holds a Master's Degree in Public Management from Carnegie Mellon University and is the executive director of the Willkie House, a youth-serving nonprofit founded in 1917. Alex is fluent in French and is an avid cyclist, gardener, and traveler. Open Book pairs her interest in education with her belief in the power of learning from others' experiences.  What do you want to be when you grow up?’ 19 moves in 19 years across four continents helped me answer this existential question and find my home.”

Vinh Nguyen was born in Saigon, Vietnam. After the Vietnam War ended, life in South Vietnam changed completely. In the summer of 1981, Vinh’s parents arranged for him to be smuggled out of the country along with 134 other Vietnamese on a tiny boat that was barely seaworthy. After the boat was rescued by an oil tanker, Vinh lived in refugee camps in Thailand and Indonesia before finally being accepted by the United States and relocating to Des Moines.At the age of 22 with no English language skills, Vinh had many difficulties adjusting to life in Iowa. He has never forgotten the help he received, and he now works to help others, lending his skills and support to many projects and activities in the Vietnamese, Southeast Asian, and Language Minority communities. He also serves as a storyteller, speaker, and consultant for many topics related to Vietnam, refugee and resettlement process, and second language acquisition issues throughout Des Moines and surrounding areas. “I was one of the hundred thousand 'Boat People' – refugees who fled harassments and persecution by the oppressive communist regime in Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon in April 1975. I share my story of the tribulations and challenges of the beginning a new life in Des Moines, Iowa in the early 1980s.