In the 1970s, millions of Vietnamese fled their country after the war ended. So many immigrated by sea that the 2 million Vietnamese refugees who landed on America’s shores after 1975 were almost always generically referred to at the time as “boat people.”

No matter how refugees left Vietnam, the 8,500-mile voyage to America wasn’t an easy passage. Accidents, drownings, and pirate attacks stole innumerable lives, but at least the United States seemed willing to accept the survivors. Some even welcomed them with open arms. Churches and synagogues urged their congregations to offer assistance, and many Americans opened their homes to immigrant families to help them resettle.

Andrew Spieldenner was born in Texas to a family that was among those Vietnamese refugees, and he lived in multiple places (Texas, Ohio, and Florida) as they searched for a better life. His teen years were spent in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.

“With a doctorate from Howard University, a historically Black university, as well as a master’s from University of California, Los Angeles, and a bachelor’s degree from U.C. Berkeley, Spieldenner seems an easy fit for academia. He’s the first person in his family with a Ph.D. But that career, or any career, wasn’t always a given for the man who has now been living with HIV for 20 years.

He worked in the nonprofit HIV field before becoming a professor, and previously held senior positions at the Latino Commission on AIDS, the National Association of People with AIDS, and the Black AIDS Institute. And while he could sweep his past under the rug, he never does, especially not with students.

“I think it’s important to be transparent about identities, particularly stigmatized ones, particularly if we have the privilege and position to be able to speak openly,” Spieldenner insists. Read more via Plus