Week 3 Christopher Esparza-Lezo

     In Navigating Graduate Education as a First-Generation Hmong American Women, I found similarities between myself and the narrative experiences of Moua a First-Generation Hmong Graduate student (Moua 2018). Like Moua I myself am a first-generation student from Latino backgrounds seeking an education to improve the lack of social and educational conditions which minorities have historically experienced. Moua explains the stereotypes diminish her race as low educated with a lack of parental involvement. Her story motivates under represented racial groups like Hmong Americans in higher education who historically do not occupy post doctor degrees and rigorous educational positions in society. Moua’s story resembles my personal motivation to pursue a degree from a prestigious university.  

     The model minority myth as discussed by Moua says people of color were not meant to occupy positions as students in higher education. The model minority myth creates a hierarchy of power that stereotypes Asian’s as intelligent. These stereotypes strategically cover up the ‘marginalization, oppression and disempowerment minority groups face’ (Moua 2018).  The Hmong Studies Journal explains Hmong graduate students ‘lack of understanding, guidance to seek recourses and counseling support’ and pressures from cultural expectations and parental pressure’s both motivated and hindered their success (Moua 2018). 

      As a student education has mad it apparent minority groups like Latino's do not abundantly occupy rigorous fields in STEM. There were no tutors available within the public school I attended to answer my questions in classes like math. As first generation students we did not grow up under role models to encourage or assist us in navigating education. Many first generation students figured out the means to succeed in school for themselves alongside the family and personal responsibilities of being children from parents without college degree's. The financial barriers means students like myself worry about the basic necessities like food, rent and educational role models, to name a few, while going through education.

      In short, kids from middle class families who's parents with stable jobs and enough income do not need to worry about these problems. These kids do not need to work to pay tuition knowing their parents are able to cover their coast of attendance.

One question I had after reading was, why do there exists disparities for people of color in education? Why has education historically been facilitated and accessible to whites versus minorities?

     This picture goes hand in hand with the question above. Affirmative actions makes education accessible to minorities able to enroll in prestigious colleges like Harvard. Through Affirmative Action students are advocated in favor of as students of excellent grades while taking into account the inequalities that hinder the fullest growth of there potential. The protest in the picture above seeks to defend students from societies favoritism of white supremacy in education. 

Moua, M. (2018). Navigating Graduate Education as a First-generation, Hmong American Woman: An Autoethnography. Hmong Studies Journal, 19.