Fall/Winter 2003-04
Kong Vang turns ideals into actions
Photo by Kathy Easthagen
Kong Vang began his internship at the Jane Adams School for Democracy with lofty goals.
"I want to make the Hmong community better, and make our [Hmong] people reach their full potential as U.S. citizens," he says.
With that goal in mind, Kong spends three hours every week tutoring Hmong refugees in preparation for their citizenship exams. He also spends his Monday evenings at the school's Dinner and Dialogue program, eating dinner with adults from the Hmong community and listening to the stories of his elders.
Kong, a junior majoring in American Studies and minoring in Asian American Studies, first learned of the internship in an international perspectives course taught by American Studies professor Jennifer Pierce. Pierce offers an additional credit to students who agree to do volunteer work in the community and keep a journal of their experiences. Kong immediately took advantage of the opportunity, knowing that he could not only "speak more of my language, and regain the dialect I am slowly losing," but also make an impact on the Hmong community.
Kong's goals include more than just citizenship tests and Monday night dinners. An aspiring leader in the Hmong community, Kong hopes this internship will play a role in his master plan—to revamp the Hmong community and erase negative stereotypes about this particular ethnic group. He speaks captivatingly of his dreams for bridging the gap between the first and second generations.
"The younger generation doesn't have role models they can look up to," he says. "I want these kids to challenge themselves and not just settle for satisfactory. I do hope to be a role model by emulating the older generation and gaining their knowledge and wisdom and applying what I know to the young. I want to grasp onto their insights and see what it is like [to be an immigrant] through my parents' eyes."
"It's not just tutoring. It's talking with them and absorbing how they're living as immigrants and refugees."
Kong is already setting an example. As a member of the CLA Student Board, co-founder of the Students for Asian American Studies Initiative, and president of literary arts group Portraits of Boiled Thoughts, he has little free time. Yet he hopes that his hard work will help change the future of the Hmong community.
"As children, we are [our parents'] insurance. The least our parents would expect from us is not getting into trouble and being successful. It's important for us to respect our elders and follow traditions," he says. But, he adds, "Many first generation Hmong do understand the lifestyle is evolving."
Finding the balance between first- and second-generation Hmong and helping his community to reach its full potential drive Kong to achieve his ultimate goal: empowering a community.