From the halls of Congress to outer space, astronaut and activist Amanda Nguyen is joining the PTK Catalyst 2026 speaker lineup as a keynote speaker in Baltimore, Maryland.
In 2013, while she was a student at Harvard University, Amanda dreamed of being an astronaut, but her dreams were temporarily upended when she was sexually assaulted. Determined not to let the experience derail her dream of joining NASA, Amanda chose to file her rape kit anonymously. She was then shocked to learn that this decision gave her only six months to take legal action before the state could destroy the kit—eliminating any possibility of justice.
Faced with an impossible choice, Amanda put her dreams on hold and decided to fight for herself and survivors everywhere.
In 2014, Amanda founded Rise, a non-profit focused on bringing equality to sexual assault survivors across the country and across the world. Since its founding, it has also become a model for other survivors to create change and rewrite the law.
Her advocacy led to the unanimous passage of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act in Congress in 2016, as well as survivor protections adopted by the United Nations.
This ensured that no other survivor would be forced to put their dreams on hold if they decided to pursue justice.
For this groundbreaking work, Amanda was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and named TIME Woman of the Year.
Throughout all of this, Amanda never gave up on her own dreams of going into outer space.
In addition to being a changemaker in Congress, Amanda is a trailblazer across science. She made history as the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman in space. To ensure she is not the last, Amanda is also working on bioastronautics research focused on women’s health to help shape a more inclusive future for space exploration.
Amanda’s journey is powerfully chronicled in her New York Times bestselling memoir, Saving Five. The book weaves her activism with an imaginative exploration of healing, following her younger selves at different ages as they navigate trauma, resilience, and hope. It is both a deeply personal story and a call to action, celebrating healing through courage and change-making.
A graduate of Harvard University and a former MIT fellow, Amanda exemplifies how knowledge, determination, and compassion can change systems and lives. Whether advocating for justice on a global stage or breaking barriers in space, she continues to redefine what leadership looks like.
We look forward to welcoming Amanda Nguyen to the Catalyst stage during General Session 3 in Baltimore, MD. Following her session, Amanda will be signing copies of her book in the Opportunity Expo.
Register today to experience Amanda Nguyen at PTK Catalyst 2026.
