Help Young Teacher Devastated by Drunk Driver

We, the English Department at Abraham Lincoln High School, are raising funds to support our beloved colleague Thanh Nguyen, who was critically injured in a drunk driving accident Friday evening.

Thanh (left) celebrating the end of the '24 school year with our department in happier times.

Thanh Nguyen finished her second year of teaching this past Spring, then worked summer school, saving up for her wedding. It was a hard-fought but joyful school year, and she made sure to relax by sleeping in, seeing live music, and dreaming about the future with her fiancé. An energetic, vibrant, and artistic 24 year-old, Thanh was the young teachers who students adored, sought out, confided in, and respected. She had a special bond with our Vietnamese students, and all our 9th graders found her funny, kind, caring, and easy to talk to.

^This was us posing for fake class competition drama to trick our students into studying^

The Friday night before teachers returned to campus, Thanh and her fiancé Khanh were in a head-on collision with a drunk driver. The drunk driver died at the scene. Both of Khanh's legs were broken. But our lovely, wonderful Thanh was the most hurt, with spinal fractures, heart damage, multiple broken bones and internal bleeding. She was rushed into emergency surgery, and remains in the Intensive Care Unit, under observation and awaiting additional surgeries.

While much remains unknown about her injuries, it is clear our beloved colleague will have a long healing journey and will need the support of her community to recover.

As we know, 3rd year teachers in our public schools are not living by wide financial margins. Thanh is a first-generation college student, who worked her own way through college. She will be out of the work force for some time. Thanh carries much on her shoulders and feels her responsibilities deeply. Many Americans, unfortunately, can relate to Thanh's experience of awaking from a traumatic event to many additional worries.

We seek to raise money to relieve the considerable financial burden of the medical bills and the time her body needs to recover so she may return to us, healthy and whole.

The happy couple before the accident: thriving young people with their whole lives ahead of them.

If you cannot contribute at this time, please send warmth and healing to Thanh through prayer, vibes, positive thoughts, or acts of service as may be needed in the future (students: we may call upon your support for classroom tasks)

Thank you for your support. The Lincoln High School community will be here for Thanh every step of the way. Lancers are loyal and we cannot wait to see you smiling in our hallways and laughing through poetry analysis with your students.

We love you, Ms. Ngyuen!!!!