Advocating for autism awareness to Miss Asia USA International - Sandy's Story

Sandy Nguyen is a Porte mentor studying at UC Berkeley, the Haas School of Business. She is also the founder of “Different But Not Less” - an autism awareness campaign that went viral in Vietnam with over 20 million media impressions and 500K+ engagements.

This last fall, Sandy was also crowned Miss Asia USA International. Sandy continues to engage in social impact as the Marketing Director for the Association for Socially Responsible Business which mobilizes business for an equitable society.

Sandy is a mentor for our Porte Accelerator - a 1-year virtual program where you are paired 1-1 with someone like Sandy to launch your own initiative. Apply and enrol for the program here.

You created “Different But Not Less” - an autism awareness campaign that went viral in Vietnam. Tell us about your journey. How did it begin?

I created “Different But Not Less” for my brother who was diagnosed with autism since birth. Growing up in Vietnam, I witnessed the discrimination he faced, like schools refusing to accept him and people looking down on him just because of his condition.

But I think the greatest incident was a time when I was with my brother in public. People with autism respond differently to environments. There was a loud noise which caused him to have a big reaction and it prompted really harsh and unkind reactions from the people around us. It was really frustrating for me in that moment. My brother is kind and works a hundred times harder in everything - it is so unfair that people treat him differently just because of his external condition. I knew I needed to do something.

“Different But Not Less” began as a social media dance challenge. I foresaw each new post to spread more word about autism awareness. I wanted to create a platform that would reach many people, so I sought by notable figures in my community who had spoken up about the issue.

Unexpectedly, Xuan Lan responded and ended up being my initiative’s biggest champion! Not only did she participate in the challenge herself, she was kind enough to connect me with other people and influencers.

“Different But Not Less” grew very quickly from there. With Xuan Lan, we formed a core team which included a film director, choreographer, celebrity, and social media expert. Our first campaign video launch was on my brother's 18th birthday, just before International Autism Awareness Day. The response was overwhelming. The campaign reached over 20 million media impressions and 500,000 engagements.

We launched the first campaign video on my brother's 18th birthday, just before International Autism Awareness Day. The response was overwhelming, with over 20 million media impressions and 500,000 engagements. “Different But Not Less” had become a powerful movement, advocating for autism awareness and making a significant impact.

Put yourself back in the shoes of when you started. What were the biggest challenges you faced?

I had two big challenges. My first challenge was knowing how to reach the right people. I grew up in Vietnam, but my family had moved to China from 4th-10th grade.

So I tried to think out of the box: how can I maximize engagement and awareness for my goal?

I decided to use social media and went forwards to build a network from scratch. I started by pitching my ideas to several influencers across Vietnam who resonated with my story.

The second challenge was the language barrier. I knew Vietnamese from speaking at home with family, but I was definitely was not proficient enough for business conversations. I also knew that to reach the right audience, I would have to communicate without sounding like a “foreigner.” What I ended up doing was dedicating 5-10 hours a week to practice Vietnamese. It was so fulfilling to see my improvements; I could see my proficiency growing with every new pitch call I had.

Reintegrating into Vietnamese society and overcoming language barriers were tough, but again, facing this barrier really shaped the success of "Different But Not Less." These experiences taught me a huge lesson: that your challenges happen for you, not to you.

Why did you choose to compete in a beauty pageant? How did it intersect with your social impact background?

I joined to achieve two big goals. 1) to immerse myself in an influential network to help myself and my family understand the States better after we moved to the US, and 2) challenging myself to improve myself on all fronts.

I really wanted to embrace this challenge. “Different But Not Less” fit with the pageant very naturally. My drive to support the autism community is a core part of who I am, and from the pageant I learned to communicate to make our efforts even more meaningful. 

Advice you would like to tell your future mentee? 

To my future mentee: whatever subject or domain you're passionate about, don't be afraid to give it your all, even without a guarantee of success.

An analogy I always share is this: Person A and Person B can take the exact same steps, but Person A may be more “successful” than Person B just because of luck. At the end of the day, though, both of them have gone through the same core journey.

My last piece of advice: don't worry about what your peers, friends, or family might say. I was scared to start something on my own too, but I learned to focus on myself. These years are the best time for building you and your capabilities, so don't let fear hold you back. This is what I will focus on through our mentorship together.

Sandy is a mentor for our Porte Accelerator - a 1-year virtual program where you are paired 1-1 with someone like Sandy to launch your own initiative. Apply and enrol for the program here.