Rosie Nguyen

Rosie Nguyen is the proud daughter of two Vietnam War refugees, who rebuilt their lives after immigrating to the United States during the 1980s. She inadvertently pursued a career in broadcast journalism, a shift from her original plans to become a doctor or lawyer, after developing a passion for increasing representation and mainstream media coverage for issues impacting underserved communities.

She graduated with her Master’s degree from the University of Utah and spent the last decade working as a local TV journalist throughout the country. Her career started in Eugene, Oregon at KEZI and took her back to KTVX in her hometown of Salt Lake City, UT where she won her first regional Emmy alongside her fiancé and six other colleagues for their multi-hour coverage of the destructive riots that developed during the downtown George Floyd protests.

She became the very first Vietnamese American TV news anchor in Utah and was part of the crew that launched the market’s first evening newscast that featured live discussions about issues pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her dedication and passion towards covering stories about social justice ultimately brought her to Houston, TX where she was the Race & Culture Reporter at KTRK for three years.

Her experience in the Bayou City has been more than she could have ever imagined, never expecting how welcoming and impactful the community here would be. She’s honored to have been requested for dozens of speaking engagements and public appearances in Houston, donating her time to support nonprofit organizations that work to better the lives of less fortunate families in our area. Last year, she was named as one of the Top 30 Influential Women of Houston.

Although Rosie no longer works in local TV, she still holds onto her passion for storytelling and working towards equitable opportunities for all. She is now the Director of Communication and Projects in Free Expression for the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence at Rice University. In her new role, she combines her expertise in multimedia journalism with public and media relations strategies to manage events and projects focused on freedom of expression. She also advises students on how to develop, produce, and share their own stories across multimedia platforms.

In her spare time, she loves trying new restaurants with her fiancé, exploring the outdoors with her Labrador Retriever, traveling to new places, taking an F45 or spin class, and binging on her favorite TV shows.