Jane Nguyen was born in Vietnam and adopted at 5 months old. She was raised in Indianola and Carroll. She attended the University of Iowa, where she studied journalism, education and studio art. She has taught English Language Learners in Des Moines Public Schools since 1999. She wrote a weekly cooking column and special features for her family's newspapers, the Carroll Times Herald and the Jefferson Herald. She lives in West Des Moines with her two sons, a Corgi and a cat. Her blog, The Asian Iowan, is on Substack.
Growing up in West Central Iowa, I thought I knew who I was. I had lived in the same town since I was four. I was Jane, a girl with lots of friends, who liked being the center of attention. As an Asian-American, I knew I looked different than everyone around me. I had shiny, […]
