Richany Nguon
Richany Nguon was born and raised in Framingham and now lives in Roxbury. She is an independent software developer, part-time student, Mel King Institute workshop attendee, and a sponsor of our 17th Annual Breakfast.
Rich’s interest in community building was heavily influenced by her parents, who survived the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. From a young age, she remembers listening “to a lot of their stories. Seeing their scars and understanding that their whole life, community, and family was torn apart. I never wanted to see that in my lifetime, and so being second generation and a teenager, I weaved through life trying to figure out what I can do.” After considering several artistic and academic paths, Rich decided to focus on something she found more applicable, developing software and building websites. Fresh out of an intensive nine-month software development bootcamp, Rich originally hoped to create a platform to help nonprofit organizations coordinate resources, share information, and collaborate across sectors. However, she quickly found that she “wasn't close enough to the [professional side] of the nonprofit sector to actually build something. That’s how I [discovered] I wanted to do trainings at Mel King Institute.”
Rich discovered the Mel King Institute through the Mel King mural at Madison Park High Schoolwhich she often walked by. One day, she decided to research Mel King and ended up finding our website in the process. Looking to learn more about community development, she decided to attend almost all of our Fall 2025 workshops and series. One of the most memorable workshops for Rich was Advocacy in Action, facilitated by former MACDC President and CEO, Pat Libby. She explains,
“right now, I'm volunteering with the Community Land Trust, which I can kind of thank Mel King Institute for. I didn't know anything about the housing climate, policies, and coalitions related beforehand, but when I took [Advocacy in Action], I learned about TOPA and the housing crisis. I always knew there was a housing crisis, but I didn't understand the climate of it [or the possible strategies to resolve it].”
After engaging with our professional development program on a regular basis over the last year, Rich was inspired to sponsor our Breakfast. She states, “I'm excited. I have gotten so much out of the program, so I thought this is kind of a no-brainer. If this [program can have] an effect on me, I hope it [can have] an effect on others.” Looking forward, Rich hopes to “continue to be involved [in the community building field] and hopefully contribute to pushing for economic equity through policy after I graduate.”
A self-proclaimed “serial hobby-hopper,” Rich enjoys spending her free time foraging for herbal remedies, being a tourist in her own city, and dabbling in the arts.