Expanding the News Lens Through Ethnic Media

It was a somber but quick morning, at 5 A.M., as my siblings gathered the remainder of my belongings into the family van. Those who could not come  to Berkeley with me bade a silent wish of 'good luck' in their eyes. The van sped on its way as my father, a stern and unaffectionate man, drove in silence. We arrived in Berkeley, at my new home. And as my family prepared to leave, slowly descending the steps of my dorm, it suddenly hit me then and there that I would not be going back to Fresno with them.  

In middle school, I had a teacher who began mentoring me in seventh grade. She fervently advocated that I attend college, took me to tour my first UC campus in eighth grade, stayed in contact with me through high school, and helped me complete and mail off my college application.

Because of her consistent role in encouraging me to pursue higher education, in my mind, going to college seemed like the natural next step, a fundamental necessity of life, just as important as wanting to buy a car or own a home.

I relished in the idea of independence, especially growing up as a Hmong teenager in a low-income refugee family. Going away for college would free me of family obligations, and I would be on my own.

Yet ironically, that same sense of independence was daunting, especially for a young Hmong girl who would soon relocate to a social and urban landscape so alien and different from what she had known all her life. I feared leaving the safety net of my hometown and being left without a support network of my parents, siblings and friends.

My parents, who had limited-English skills, provided the moral support, but the financial and academic support was still minimal. Neither my father nor my mother had really attended high school, let alone a university, so how could they know how to support their second-born daughter who was the first in the family to go away for college?

It was beyond their grasp to understand how I should register for classes, apply for financial aid, or just maintain my studies. I realized that part of my independence would entail learning how to persevere through these issues. In 2003, after four years at Berkeley, I proudly obtained my bachelors degree in English. 

Now, I take profound joy in encouraging young people to pursue college after high school.

As I listened to the speakers who participated in the Know How 2 Go To College events, coordinated by the Campaign for College Opportunity, New America Media, and local community based organizations, I was reminded of the journey I too had taken.

On June 21, over 200 Southeast Asian parents, children, and youth, mostly Hmong, packed into the conference room at Fresno Center for New Americans to hear motivational speakers reflect on the importance of college. Many were seated while others stood along the walls and hallways, listening intently to speakers such as Shee Yee Xiong and Jamie Xiong.   

A recent social work graduate of Fresno State, Shee Yee, who is blind, exuded faith and stated how constant motivation is what helped him get through college. "As a disabled person," he says, "many people told me I shouldn't do anything and just stay home, but I want to be educated and make a living."

Jamie shared her story of being married at the young age of 14 and having two children by the time she finished high school. "It was hard, but my dream was to be a lawyer," she says, and that is exactly the dream she pursued. She received her bachelor's degree from UCLA and went on to obtain her J.D. from Whittier Law School. Jamie recollected how she struggled in her studies, but she endeavored through it, acknowledging that sometimes "you have to cry a little."

The same enthusiasm for college was displayed at another similar event, geared toward the African-American and Latino communities, on June 30, where over 100 parents and children gathered at the Fresno State Satellite Student Union to learn about college opportunities. Dancers inspired the audience while speakers talked about the positive impacts of higher education.

Dr. Jerome Jackson, a nationally recognized criminologist and faculty at Fresno State, spoke about making time matter and looking to the future: "Through education, we embrace the old to achieve what is new…the future is a special time and place, and education is important to the future."

When asked what made her want to pursue an education, Brendel Jackson, vice principal for Yosemite Middle School, stated "the long cotton fields of Louisiana…when I was 7, I used to pick cotton; one day, I looked up from picking cotton and saw people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s; I told myself I didn't want to be doing this for the rest of my life."

My journey through college was initially wrought with uncertainty and fear but eventually transformed into one of the best decisions I had ever made. My critical thinking processes, sense of identity, awareness of the world and employment opportunities were enhanced because I pursued college.

No matter the obstacle, challenge or anxiety, college is attainable for everyone. When you finally walk across that stage and receive your degree, and when you think about the positive long-term impacts, you will realize, just like I did, that it was all worth struggling for.