Founders

The people who helped start MEMO's long-running mission.

MEMO's founder story is part of the organization's credibility. This page preserves the original founding voice while placing it inside a calmer, more editorial layout.

MEMO medical mission volunteers
FoundersThe founding story remains tied to student leadership and long-term service.

Founder / President

Long-Co Nguyen

UCI and MEMO Nonprofit

In 2007, as a sophomore in college, Long-Co started a student organization at UCI with a group of friends to address the lack of medical care in Vietnam. Over the years she led MEMO to expand programs that combat health disparities and lack of opportunity. She now practices Internal Medicine at UCI.

Founding Family

Dr. Duy Do Nguyen and Co Kim

Memorial archive

Dr. Duy Do Nguyen and Co Kim helped found MEMO in 2007 alongside their children and were deeply involved in chapter development, mission support, and organizational growth over the years.

Founding principle

Give students a real framework for service, and they can build something that lasts.

The original site tied MEMO's origin directly to the lack of accessible medical care in Vietnam and the desire to build a student-led structure that could keep responding over time.

Keep the mission moving

Founding history matters because it explains why the mission still feels personal.

Continue into the board page, the archive pages, or the donate page.