Going Against The Grain: Ayden Nguyen

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Ayden Nguyen is a 7 year-old dancer, actor and model from Garland, Texas. From a very young age, Ayden has always been a natural performer, entertainer and lover of dance. Those characteristics have launched him onto a path that leads directly into the entertainment industry. He enjoys all aspects of performing and juggles a pretty hectic schedule of school, photo shoots, casting calls/auditions, rehearsals, soccer and dance training.

He has been in several print ad campaigns for department stores such as Belk, JCPenney, and Neiman Marcus. He has also been featured in various industry videos for Chuck E. Cheese and Hasbro. His main passion is dance, hip-hop specifically, and has trained with some of the best choreographers in the world – even had the opportunity to dance on stage with Justin Bieber.

Ultimately, he’s just a little boy, with very big dreams. Follow Ayden on his journey, to make his dreams come true. Against The Grain had the privilege of featuring young Ayden at Fashion for a Passion this year. Stay tuned for our highlight video to watch his moves in action!

Full name: 
Ayden Nguyen

Hometown:
Garland, Texas

Current City: 
Garland, Texas

Ethnicity: 
Vietnamese American

*Questions provided by Ayden’s mom, Cindy.

What does it mean to you to “Go Against The Grain?”

“To me ‘Going Against The Grain’ is leaving a 16-year banking career to pursue my passion for cooking, serving others and opening a restaurant in an undeveloped area of West Dallas.”

What made you decide to pursue a career in this industry?

“Honestly, it just came naturally. My talent and passion has created this path, and our only option is we either pursue it or we don’t.”

What have been some of the challenges you faced/lessons you learned as an Asian American in this field?  

“The opportunities for Asian American entertainers are very limited in comparison to other demographics. Especially, for acting roles, it is very rare. It is challenging and sometimes discouraging to know that there are limits to how successful you can be in this industry, and that you have to work that much harder.”

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment, and why?
“Ayden is still so young that he doesn’t really understand what he has accomplished. He does it for the pure passion and entertainment aspect, and just getting to do what he loves. As his mom, I would probably say, his biggest accomplishment is performing on stage with Justin Bieber. Just the fact that we have video footage we can show Ayden later when he does understand, whether he ends up pursuing a career in the entertainment industry or not, that if he can do THAT at 6 years old, he can do just about anything he puts his mind to.”

What’s up next?
“In all honesty, we don’t really know what is next. We just take it day by day, and see where this path leads us. Ayden continues to train in dance, acting, and stage performance.”

Quote to live by:
“Think big,
Dream big,
Believe big,
And the results, will be big.”

Sign (Eastern Animal Sign & Western Zodiac):
“Ox/Virgo”

Passionate about:
“All things dance.”

Favorite food:
“Wings and sushi.”

Can’t live without:
“His baby sister Kendall (1 year old) – misses her like crazy when he’s away/working/traveling.”

I Go Against The Grain #beCAUSE:
“This is what I was meant to do, and I love doing it.”

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