Name: 16th Annual Julie Valentine Center Luncheon Presented by Samaritan Biologics
Start: 2026-02-11T11:30:00-05:00
Location: Greenville Convention Center

Join Julie Valentine Center at our 16th Annual Julie Valentine Center Luncheon presented by Samaritan Biologics as we celebrate the Space to Heal featuring Amanda Nguyen.
Amanda Nguyen is an astronaut and activist who made history as the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman in space. At NASA, she worked on Kepler exoplanet mission and the final shuttle mission. Her bioastronautics research focuses on women's health. Amanda was a fellow at MIT and graduated from Harvard.
In 2013, the trajectory of Amanda Nguyen's life was changed forever when she was raped at Harvard. Determined to not let her assault derail her goal of joining NASA after graduation, Nguyen opted for her rape kit to be filed under "Jane Doe." But she was shocked to learn her choice to stay anonymous gave her only six months to act before the state destroyed her kit, rendering any future legal action impossible. Nguyen knew then that she had two options: surrender to a law that effectively denied her justice, or fight for a change, not only for herself but for survivors everywhere
Buy your ticket or tables today for this amazing event as Amanda tells her story on stage with us. Both in person and virtual tickets available. We cannot wait to see you there!