Vongrathayuth

Vongrathayuth Hingphith Picture
He/Him

Academic Background:

  • PhD in Comparative and International Development Education
  • Expected End Date: 2028
  • Focus Areas: Education, Equity, Social Justice 

Relevant Tools & Skills:

qualitative interviewing, facilitation, relationship-building, conflict mediation, project management, multilingual communication, graphic design

Interest Areas:

  • Environmental Justice & Sustainability
  • Community Health & Wellbeing
  • Racial and Social Justice Movements
  • Housing Justice & Anti-Displacement
  • Education Equity & Youth Dev

Where I Call Home:

I have spent most of my time in Southeast Asia, specifically in Cambodia. Coming from a small region, I tend to call many places home as long as I feel a connection to them! It has been a pleasure moving and working in different countries, and now I am settling into Minneapolis, Minnesota. After four years in the land of a thousand lakes, I can confidently say that I consider this home as well! I believe that home is more communal; wherever your people are and where you feel connected to others, that is truly home.

Areas I’m Hoping to Grow:

policy analysis and coalition-building.

Values That Shape My Work:

My approach to community-based work is grounded in community-centeredness, reparation, and structural change. As a queer immigrant educator, I’ve seen inequities firsthand in Cambodia and the U.S., shaping the empathy and humanistic lens I bring to research and design. Through CURA projects with the Legal Rights Center and River Bend Nature Center, I learned how stories and data can fuel advocacy and accountability when returned to communities in useful ways. I believe research must be collaborative, non-extractive, and rooted in equity—amplifying voices, building power, and creating lasting impact by centering those most affected in the solutions.

A Meaningful Meal or Tradition:

I was in a room with my closest friend or family, sharing a story we'd never heard before. I don't care much about what's on the table or what I am eating, but I am excited about the stories that matter to my loved ones.