People : Spotlight on achievers : Lam Nguyen, Filmmaker, Costa Mesa

Lam Nguyen was born in 1976, after the Vietnam War ended, but it still profoundly affects his life. That theme was the inspiration for his short film “Nostalgic,” which won a gold medal at the recent Chicago International Film Festival. “I wanted to show the connection between the struggle of Vietnam 25 years ago and today,” he said.

The experimental short film shows the conflict of many Vietnamese who are still tormented by the effects of the war. It portrays a Vietnamese boy living in Southern California whose dreams are interrupted by nightmares about the past.

Nguyen, 19, came to California five years ago from his home in Saigon. He is now a student at Orange Coast College and hopes to transfer to a four-year university to major in filmmaking.

Most of the filming was done at Nguyen’s home in Santa Ana, with black-and-white footage of war scenes interspersed.

His teachers at OCC are confident that Nguyen will meet his goal. No other student from the college has ever performed so well at the festival, they said.

Furthermore, Nguyen took top honors in competition with film students from New York University and USC.

“I was stunned, though not surprised, when he told me it had captured the gold medal at the Chicago international festival,” said OCC film instructor Cai Emmons. “It was an exquisite piece.”

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Steve Nagel

Firefighter, Fountain Valley

Peers of Fire Capt. Steve Nagel describe him as a leader who exemplifies the best of his profession.

For his dedication to his job and to helping others, the Fountain Valley Fire Department recently honored Nagel as Firefighter of the Year. “He’s very deserving,” Fire Chief Bernard F. Heimos said. “Steve is one of those people who you can can give a job to, and he takes it and runs with it.”

Nagel, 43, began his firefighting career 21 years ago at the Long Beach Fire Department, where his father was a captain and recently retired after 41 years. Steve Nagel joined the Fountain Valley Fire Department in April, 1977, became a paramedic the next year and taught fire fitness classes for 13 years at Rancho Santiago College.

Nagel, who lives in Huntington Beach with his wife and two children, said the recognition by the Fire Department was humbling.

“I’m very appreciative to the guys who nominated me,” Nagel said. “I work with a lot of guys who really care about others.”

Heimos said that Nagel, who is also the department’s training officer, shares with his peers his wealth of knowledge and experience.

“The firefighters view him as a sounding board,” the chief said. “He keeps things in balance.”