A generous gift from a longtime George Mason philanthropist establishes a scholarship endowment in University Life.
By Amanda Milewski
Kimmy Duong’s journey from war-torn Vietnam to the United States laid the foundation for a life marked by resilience, entrepreneurial success, and extraordinary philanthropy. Fleeing her homeland in 1975 with just $30 and a few belongings, Duong persevered and built a life dedicated to helping others realize their potential—especially through education.
Duong credits her parents for instilling in her a deep respect for education, something they cherished despite its limited availability in Vietnam. That tenet continues to be a driving force for Duong, most recently through a transformational gift to George Mason University that carries a $36 million impact.
Through the Kimmy Duong Foundation (KDF), her gift led to naming the Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong School of Computing and establishing the Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong Scholarship Endowment housed in University Life. The ongoing work of KDF, which Duong founded in 2015, supports student scholarships and health and welfare initiatives in the United States and Vietnam. The endowment funds scholarships with a preference for students majoring in nursing, education, and journalism.
While still in a refugee camp, Duong secured a position with IBM, a company she had worked for in Vietnam. She resumed her career in Northern Virginia, working hard to overcome obstacles that many immigrants face. Driven by a desire to give back, Duong consistently focuses her philanthropy on public colleges and universities. “Education is a way for people to get out of poverty,” she explained. “I want to help the students who need it most.”
A Lasting Impact
Through the KDF scholarship program, hundreds of students from the Washington, D.C., area have been empowered to pursue their educational goals. More than 200 George Mason students have directly benefited from Duong’s support and unwavering commitment to the university. “Kimmy Duong has supported George Mason students with care and generosity for many years,” said Rose Pascarell, vice president for University Life. “This remarkable gift reflects her deep belief in our students’ potential. We are truly honored by her partnership and deeply grateful for her continued support.”
An Nguyen, BS Information Technology ‘19, MS Software Engineering ‘21 (no relation to Long Nguyen), was an inaugural recipient of a KDF scholarship in 2018. “The scholarship made a remarkable impact on my time at George Mason,” he said. “It helped me pursue the accelerated master’s program, and I put the principles of the scholarship into practice in academia and in extracurricular activities.” Receiving the scholarship inspired Nguyen to reflect on how to personalize the scholarship’s founding values, such as the importance of community involvement. “Embracing the principles of the Kimmy Duong Foundation into my life has served as a catalyst for more success, including my current career in the tech industry, in which continuous learning and collaboration are paramount to making business and social impacts.”
Rakibul Alam, a junior majoring in business management and marketing, used his scholarship to study abroad in Morocco, furthering his interest in global leadership. “As a first-generation college student, I have had to figure everything out myself and be my own champion,” Alam said. Receiving the scholarship demonstrated to him that “someone else believed in me and that I could make an impact, which pushed me to go beyond my [prescribed] curriculum and adopt a multidisciplinary approach to my education.”
A Legacy That Inspires
Duong’s philanthropy is more than just financial support; it’s a call to action. Her goal is to empower students who, in turn, will encourage students who follow them. Former scholarship recipients now serve as judges for the program, embodying the Foundation’s ethos of giving back. “We look to the scholarship recipients to commit to paying it forward and helping the next generation,” Duong said.
That sentiment is not lost on An Nguyen, who through his position as a software engineer at Microsoft, reviews student resumes, attends career and networking fairs at George Mason, and leads community outreach opportunities, notably Microsoft’s support of PatriotHacks 2024. Similarly, the scholarship and Duong’s example have spurred Alam to become a donor to the Costello College of Business Dean’s Fund. He plans to continue his philanthropy at George Mason and to make his mark as a global leader, something he is already doing as the chief communications officer of a social venture that manufactures women’s products in South Asia.
Throughout her remarkable life, Duong has transformed personal adversity into opportunity for herself as well as thousands of others. Her legacy is one of vision, perseverance, and generosity—a testament to the power of education to change lives.
Amanda Milewski is a freelance writer.