With goals such as promoting higher education and exposing the importance behind cultural values throughout the community, the Hmong Student Association has profoundly become one of the most active student organizations at Fresno State. Established in 1984 with only five original members, the founding fathers represented at the time, a community of about twenty students of Hmong descent. Two and a half decades later, a new generation of students has become committed to continue the legacy of the HmSA to a wonderful extent. This year the club has expeditiously grew into a mass of about eighty students with a handful of leaders and officers. Participating in a vast number of community services and fundraisers throughout the community, this Fresno State club has created a positive atmosphere for the members, the Hmong community, as well as the whole vicinity of Fresno.
The Hmong Student Association usually meet every Friday evening between the times 5-7 p.m. on the upper level of the student union. The meeting would begin with a type of icebreaker, in which the students would gather together and play a game. These interactive games help the members engage in something fun that would raise the level of participation for the meeting. Club President Tou Lee Chang would then announce the agenda of the meeting, discuss upcoming events, the current logistics of the group, and then open the floor to suggestions and notions.
Exposing the Hmong culture and its traditional values is one of the clubs most important aspirations. A general meeting by the group would have a very educational “Hmong Word of the Day†moment. Led by culture chairperson Xeng Xai Xiong, this segment would educate students about certain phrases that are valuable in the Hmong language. This event would then be followed by a physical activity, in which members would stand up from their seats and participate in a kind of gesture or exercise that would mimic some aspect of the Hmong history. In one particular meeting, the group would perform an exercise the Hmong people would do in the agricultural fields in Laos, mimicking the lifting of stalks of rice over their heads. “I feel more Asian now!†explains Community Activities Advisor Javier Perez. The club educates members on the importance of Hmong traditional values, yet they would like to mention that you do not have to be Hmong to join the club. This organization is open to anybody who would deem dedicated in creating a positive atmosphere for the community.
Participating in fundraising events and community services are only a couple of very many inspiring commitments by the HmSA. For 22 years the club has sent members to attend a leadership conference, in which members participate in a retreat where they learn techniques in becoming better leaders. They have engaged in many disaster relief fundraising events. One would include the apartment complex fire that happened 3 years ago in Fresno, which left 14 families homeless. “In the beginning I joined the club with hopes of becoming something better, but in the end, the things I’ve done become a huge part of myselfâ€, explains club member Jerry Her. This club is devoted to helping the community in many ways possible.
Throughout the past, the club has been traditionally putting together a Miss Hmong pageant. With hopes of expressing something new and contemporary, the club is putting together a Mr. Hmong competition. This event has been created to reveal an idea that there is a beauty behind each individual, no matter who you may be. There are only a few requirements for one to enter the Mr. Hmong competition: The individual must be of Hmong descent, male, sixteen years or older, never married, and there is also an educational requirement. The winner of this event would hopefully be someone that can act as a role model for the community. The club is currently looking for possible contestants, so anybody interested in participating should contact the Hmong Student Association right away!
The club strives through their motto: “Live, Learn, and Leadâ€. This idea passes on with the intent to promote higher education. Club Historian Kathy Vue explains, “You do things to feel good for yourself and the club rewards you for itâ€. The club is dedicated to living out their legacy in creating a positive atmosphere and promoting higher education for the members and all members of the community.
Club info: http://www.myspace.com/hmsa