Hmong college attendance triples

The number of Hmong students at local colleges has more than tripled in the past 16 years as schools have reached out to minorities and traditions within the Asian community have evolved.

About 9 percent, or 126 of the University of Wisconsin Marathon County's students last year, were Hmong, a dramatic change from 1993, when just eight Hmong students were enrolled at UWMC. Similarly, Northcentral Technical College last year enrolled 805 Asian students representing 5 percent of the Wausau campus' student body. In 1993, the college had 237 Asian students, just 2 percent of the student body.

College officials said those trends should continue. And the more college-educated Hmong residents there are, the better the community will be, said Whiz Beck, UWMC associate campus dean and student services director.

Hmong graduates can bring their bilingual skills and their cultural perspectives to any number of Wausau businesses and agencies. They can set an example for younger generations and avoid the brain drain effect of graduates leaving the area for jobs elsewhere. The community cannot grow if these graduates do not stick around, Beck said.

Blazing a trail

Asian college graduates don't only earn more money than nongraduates, which helps the local economy. They also serve as mentors for younger Hmong students who are uncertain about higher education, Beck said.

One of those mentors is UWMC and UW-Stevens Point graduate May See Cha, who works with students in Upward Bound, the same program that helped her a decade ago. Upward Bound provides high-school students with college preparatory activities that introduce them to different careersadvice and access to campuses statewide.

"It was a personal goal of mine ... I knew I always wanted to go to college," Cha, 26, said.

Cha said that her parents -- especially her mother -- also wanted her to go to college because they did not have that opportunity themselves back in their home country of Laos. Cha said that her parents struggled without formal educations and they did not want the same experience for Cha and their six other children.

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Cha's parents were unusual. Traditionally, Hmong girls in Laos were not encouraged to go to college; they were taught to follow in the footsteps of their mothers, who gathered food, did household chores and raised children.



But as families began to move to America, parents came to realize that their daughters cannot get good jobs without degrees, NTC minority student coordinator and adviser Houa Lee said. Today, most Hmong families encourage all of their children to attend college, he said.

Reaching out

Changing beliefs were not the only reason why Hmong college enrollments have grown. UWMC and NTC both have made concerted efforts in recent years to recruit Asian students.

Lee himself has visited Wausau high schools and the Boys & Girls Club of the Wausau Area to explain how to get into college and the advantages that a degree offers a student.

NTC also used the local Hmong radio station and a Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Association newsletter to reach students in their native language.

UWMC academic adviser Vang Her has offered a precollege program every year for Hmong students since he began working at the campus in 1995. The summer program introduces high-school students to higher education through a mix of academic and recreational courses.

Her said he remembers when most Asians left high school and went straight into the workforce; only a handful of Hmong students were on UWMC's campus in the mid-1990s. But the university became involved in Hmong History Month activities and taught Hmong culture in its classes, Beck said, in an effort to connect with Asian students.

Having advisers like Her increased enrollment as well because Hmong families listened and respected his views on education, Beck said.

Keeping them here

Not all Hmong college graduates stick around Wausau, but they are more likely to stay if they have family ties. Lee has seen his students land jobs at Aspirus Wausau Hospital and Greenheck Fan Corp., among other businesses.

Other students, such as NTC graduate Jay Lee, have started their own businesses. Lee is co-founder of shoe company L Jay, Inc. in Wausau, a business that helps makes shoes for Weinbrenner Shoe Company in Merrill.

And keeping Asian students in Wausau and moving into more leadership roles will be the next step in Hmong culture blending with American culture, Beck said.

Whether they are in supervisory roles or not, Hmong professionals who choose to live in central Wisconsin and stay involved in events such as Hmong New Year celebrations serve as inspirations for younger generations, Lee said.

"(We) as a community, as a whole, should stress and emphasize higher education for all students," Cha said.

Cha's parents were unusual. Traditionally, Hmong girls in Laos were not encouraged to go to college; they were taught to follow in the footsteps of their mothers, who gathered food, did household chores and raised children.

But as families began to move to America, parents came to realize that their daughters cannot get good jobs without degrees, NTC minority student coordinator and adviser Houa Lee said. Today, most Hmong families encourage all of their children to attend college, he said.

Reaching out

Changing beliefs were not the only reason why Hmong college enrollments have grown. UWMC and NTC both have made concerted efforts in recent years to recruit Asian students.

Lee himself has visited Wausau high schools and the Boys & Girls Club of the Wausau Area to explain how to get into college and the advantages that a degree offers a student.

NTC also used the local Hmong radio station and a Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Association newsletter to reach students in their native language.

UWMC academic adviser Vang Her has offered a precollege program every year for Hmong students since he began working at the campus in 1995. The summer program introduces high-school students to higher education through a mix of academic and recreational courses.

Her said he remembers when most Asians left high school and went straight into the workforce; only a handful of Hmong students were on UWMC's campus in the mid-1990s. But the university became involved in Hmong History Month activities and taught Hmong culture in its classes, Beck said, in an effort to connect with Asian students.

Having advisers like Her increased enrollment as well because Hmong families listened and respected his views on education, Beck said.

Keeping them here

Not all Hmong college graduates stick around Wausau, but they are more likely to stay if they have family ties. Lee has seen his students land jobs at Aspirus Wausau Hospital and Greenheck Fan Corp., among other businesses.

Other students, such as NTC graduate Jay Lee, have started their own businesses. Lee is co-founder of shoe company L Jay, Inc. in Wausau, a business that helps makes shoes for Weinbrenner Shoe Company in Merrill.

And keeping Asian students in Wausau and moving into more leadership roles will be the next step in Hmong culture blending with American culture, Beck said.

Whether they are in supervisory roles or not, Hmong professionals who choose to live in central Wisconsin and stay involved in events such as Hmong New Year celebrations serve as inspirations for younger generations, Lee said.

"(We) as a community, as a whole, should stress and emphasize higher education for all students," Cha said.

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