Recipient, William Randolph Hearst/CSU Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement
California State University, Long Beach

Hiep Nguyen is an interdisciplinary artist with a passion for art education. He was born in Vietnam and settled in the United States in 1991. He received his BA and teaching credential in art education at CSU Long Beach, and has worked as a muralist, stage designer and art teacher. Hiep has organized and facilitated many art and performance programs for "children ages five to 105." As a dedicated and enthusiastic artist and teacher, Hiep believes that artwork encourages dialogue and fosters collaboration, that creativity holds enormous power to impact change and that individuals must use their creative power. His motto is: "All for Art. Art for all." One of his greatest aspirations is to establish community art centers in Orange County's Little Saigon region and in Da Lat, Vietnam, to reach underprivileged and at-risk youth. While working on his MFA at CSU Long Beach and honing his innovative teaching methods, Hiep continues to lay the groundwork to fulfill his dreams to create the two centers.