Week 3 - Anna Le, sect. 4

In Manee Moua’s Navigating Graduate Education as a First-Generation, Hmong American Woman: An Autoethnography, I thought it was interesting that the author concluded her personal story with how important faculty mentorship is, especially for first-generation POCs. Many first generations, such as I, do not have the support system to navigate through the higher education system. Many may choose to opt out of higher education because they lack the confidence to seek for guidance, and this may be due in part to the model minority myth, in which, Asian students may not seek help due to a racial stereotype that says they are too successful to need any more aid. An Asian student might think, “why would the system help me when they could better help someone less fortunate than me?”

I agree with the author that first-generation POCs have to utilize themselves to seek for help, but that faculty members and counselors can greatly guide their experience through the higher education system and shape their perception of self/education. If it wasn’t for my own efforts to seek guidance, I would not be here at UCD. I knew it was important to transfer out of my community college, I just didn’t know how and I lacked the confidence to go on any further than I did. It took me a couple of years to transfer, but through my professors’ encouragement and counselor’s guidance, I was able to be here and believe in myself (and my intelligence) a bit more than I used to.

In the other article, Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation of Hmong Americans by Kaozong N. Mouavangsou, I learned that it was important to be properly educated about one’s cultural history in American education. If a culture’s historical presence is absence, then how can one feel a sense of belonging and inclusion within American society? For ethnic studies to be in American education, the people must fight for it to be implemented in the system. Otherwise, the “other” will try to miseducate the masses about another’s cultural history.

Question: Should ethnic studies be required in K-12 education as a separate class or included within the basic curriculum? How do we choose which ethnic studies to include?

References:

• M. (n.d.). Beautiful asian woman reading book on table at shop. [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.shutterstock.com/th/video/clip-9343322-beautiful-asian-woman-reading-book-on-table
• Moua, M. (2018). Navigating Graduate Education as a First-generation, Hmong American Woman: An Autoethnograpy. Hmong Studies Journal,19(1), 1-25.
• Mouavangsou, K. N. (n.d.). Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation Of Hmong Americans. 1-49.