What is NorCal UVSA?
Established in 2007, our vision is to create a community of high school students, college students and young professionals that has a respected voice in the broader Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American communities.
NorCal UVSA is a group of Vietnamese Student Associations across Northern California that serves Vietnamese and Vietnamese American students and communities at the following schools: De Anza College, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz, University of Pacific, University of San Francisco, Sacramento State University, San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, San Jose City College, and Santa Clara University.
Each year, the thirteen partnering universities work to support NorCal UVSA's missions and goals throughout the year by supporting our events and programs that are hosted throughout the year. Through our joint efforts in supporting one another, we are able to form a strong united community that uplifts everyone.
In line with NorCal UVSA’s mission, NorCal hosts four flagship events every school year: Summit, Olympics, Camp, and LNY:SJ. These events are geared towards empowering young individuals to become leaders in their communities, as well as creating a welcoming community for like-minded individuals.
Why "NorCal" UVSA?
"NorCal" UVSA is 1 of 13 UVSA regions within continental North America. The other regions include: UVSA SoCal, UVSA Eastern Canada, UVSA Western Canada, UVSA Gulf Coast, UVSA Mid Atlantic, UVSA Midwest, IVSA New England, UVSA Northeast, UVSA Northwest, UVSA South, UVSA Southeast, UVSA Southwest.
Together, the 13 regions make up the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA). Officially formed in 2004, student leaders from Southern California and New England recognized an unmet need within the Vietnamese youth community focused on the development of the next generation of leaders. From this collaboration, UNAVSA was created to develop and organize a large, supportive network throughout the United States and Canada. The first conference was held in Boston, Massachusetts in 2004, where over 200 young activists from across the country and from different community-based organizations came together to develop the foundation for what UNAVSA has accomplished to date.
With the first election of eleven regional representatives and five executive officers, the delegates outlined the structure that has evolved into the Council of Regional Representatives, the Executive Board, and the President’s Council.
Since then, there are multiple UNAVSA initiatives that NorCal UVSA participates in including the annual UNAVSA conference (U-20) and the Collective Philanthropy Project (CPP).
