“As a college student, I co-founded Asian Students in Action, leading a coalition that advocated for social change through public programming. In collaboration with other identity-based student organizations, we organized a series of public programs with the goal of educating the campus community about social justice issues. The program’s impetus came from learning for the first time in an Ethnic Studies course about the murder of Vincent Chin in 1982 in Michigan and that of James Byrd in 1998 in Jasper, TX.”

“The killing of these men and countless others like them highlights unjust systems in our society, one that continues today. That experience made me realize how public programming can connect the past and present and how activism, solidarity, and organizing can take on many forms.

“My journey into community advocacy began many years ago, as my family left the only home we knew of. I was born in a small farming village in central Laos, a country and landscape forever altered by the aftermath of war. At the age of two, my parents devised a plan to leave everything they knew. They sold all of their rice rations to secure passage on two small boats waiting on the shore of the Mekong River.”

“However, when our family arrived, there was only one boat. My mother climbed onto the boat carrying my baby sister. While my father ushered my older brother, sister, and me on board, he pushed the boat onto steady water and managed to hop on. As a child, my parents would recount the journey, etched in my memory. They told me that before we left Laos, my name was written on the sandy shore of the Mekong River, a reminder that connected me to the land of my birth.

“Once on the Thailand side of the border, our family was detained. Although we were refugees, according to the government of Thailand and border patrols, we were considered undocumented immigrants. It was not until days later that the UNHCR moved us to a refugee camp. After years in refugee camps and countless medical exams, my journey as an Asian American began in 1986.

“It was not until years later, when I started college, that I soon realized the absence of the narratives and perspectives of my people from American history. Understanding my own journey and the stories of countless other refugees from Laos helps me realize the complexity of war and conflicts.”

“My personal experience has been a guiding principle for me as I found my calling to develop community-engaged and community–impacted programs. Coming full circle, I have since joined and led coalition work to advance issues in communities like the one where I grew up in–a vibrant refugee community that faced low education attainment, a high unemployment rate, and limited access to resources. The gathering and telling of stories has been a medium in which to help achieve my passion for advocating for justice and equity. When our stories are told, we become empowered to encourage others to tell theirs and collectively organize to create change. “