Cyndi Nguyen
Cyndi Nguyen, the first Vietnamese member of the New Orleans City Council, was sworn in on May 7.
Nguyen moved to the United States at 5 years old when her family fled the fall of Saigon.
A community organizer and mother of six, Nguyen won the council seat that represents New Orleans East and the Lower 9th Ward. She defeated incumbent James Gray in November.
The first woman to hold the job of New Orleans’ mayor since the city’s founding 300 years ago, LaToya Cantrell was also sworn in, along with Councilmember-At-Large Helena Moreno, the city’s first Hispanic member.