Young Southeast Asian American Voices

Panel Moderator: Phitsamay Sychitkokhong, Long Beach Unified School District

Phitsamay Sychitkokhong originates from Houesai, Laos where she lived out the formative years of her life. After the US pulled out of Vietnam and Laos, her family was forced to leave the country because her dad was considered an American sympathizer due to his work on an American Air Force base. They were detained in a Thai State prison for two months before relocating to a refugee camp. Her father, mother, and younger sister were in a refugee camp with her for two years while her two older brothers of 6 and 8 years had to fend for themselves on the streets during that time. The Sychitkokhong family immigrated to the US in July of 1979 landing in Manchester, Connecticut where Phitsamay attended a bilingual Laotian ESL program. After seven years in Connecticut, her family moved to Springfield, Vermont where she finished the remainder of her public school education at Springfield Vocational High School. Phitsamay went on to attend Boston College to receive her Bachelors of Science in Human Resource Management with a concentration in Economics and her Masters of Education in Elementary Education.

Today, Phitsamay is working as a first grade teacher at International Elementary School in Long Beach, California. She also works part-time as a consultant for the National Coalition of Advocates for Students on their National Asian Family/School Partnership Project and as a consultant for Pacific Southwest Regional Technology in Education Consortium on their Asian - Pacific American Educational Forum website.

Phitsamay had conference attendees stand up by regional areas of the U.S. It became clear that the conference truly was national in its scope.

Phitsamay explained that each of the young Southeast Asian Americans seated on the panel had been asked to respond to the following questions as related to our conference theme:

	What is our Past?
	What is our Heritage?
	What part do we take with us into our future?
	What part do we leave behind?
	How do we integrate both cultural identities?

She identified the panel members as "young Leaders, new Asian American faces you will see in your community." She introduced each of the panel members. (see below for introduction of each member).

Pat

I was born in Laos. I'm one of older people up here, so I really don't fit in up here (laughter. I am currently an Assistant Proffesor as Sacramento State. I taught middle school and high school.

One thing bothers me as a Hmong person growing up in U.S., is the constant pressure from family and community. These are often hidden pressures, hidden competition, to live up to and perform. Sometimes when I achieve something, I don't know if I did it or not. To my parents, I don't know if they would care if I'm President of the United States, its not something that is really important to them. They just want to see me have lots of money. Its a struggle, my income is very little, I can't support my entire family, they still have to work. It is a struggle for all young Asians growing up.

Souksada Toon Phaphayboun, Western Piedmont Community College, North Carolina

An alumni of Los Angeles City College, University of California at Santa Cruz, and California State University at Dominguez Hills in English/American literature with Rhetoric and Composition concentration, Souksada Toon Phapphayboun was an adjunct faculty of the English Department and of the Greater Avenues for Independence program (GAIN) at Los Angeles Southwest College from 1990 to 1997. A family of six, Toon was the first one to escape her home country, Laos in 1980. She has lived in the refugee camp in Thailand and in the Philippines before arriving in the United States of America in January 1981 when she was placed in an English-as-a-second Language class at Los Angeles High School. Her educational journey of learning English culminated with a Master's of Arts in English from CSU Dominguez Hills in May 1993. Currently, Toon lives in Morganton, North Carolina and is an adjunct faculty of the Humanities and Social Sciences Division at Western Piedmont Community College. Aside from her daily teaching, Toon is an active member of the Lao community where she volunteers her time to Lao Vision magazine/Valasaan Sieng Lao <www.laovision.net>, the nation's premier Lao publication and to SatJaDham: An internet Lao Literary Project <www.satjadham.net>. Toon believes that, "The art of knowing is composed of knowledge, common sense, and wisdom." And this is the belief that she shares wholeheartedly with her family and friends. As a lifetime learner and educator, Toon aspires to share the language and literature of Laos locally, nationally, and globally.

(Toon, has everyone stand up and repeat the traditional Lao greeting "Sabaydee." She acknowledges her mentor who always had people stand up and do this at any conference or meeting he spoke at.)

There is an Ozzy Osborne song in which he says "Life is a stage, and we are all in the cast." We are all in a cast. We need to bring the best out of ourselves and push each other forward. There are only about 10 Laotians with a Ph.D. Dont' fly it out, but bring it back to community to assist the younger generation.

We need to master the native tongue, no matter what it is. Is the youth's responsibility to help parents. Don't write anything, I don't read anymore since I graduated, its too much. Better to talk. Values, morals, traditions start at home. We must form partnerships.

Chanvon Mom, Youth Leadership Project, Lowell High School, Lowel, MA

Chanvon Mom was a previous program participant in 1997-1998. She was the lead organizer of the Youth Leadership Project. As an alumni, Chanvon gives workshops, trainings and facilitates meetings for the 1999-2000 program participants. She is the founder and organizer of youth groups and many ground-breaking community projects such as the Cambodian Student Organization at the University of Massachusetts Boston and parent orientations.

I am a student at UMASS, living in Lowell. I have no story to tell. I'm just glad to be a part of the conference. I'm glad to see professionals here doing something for the community. I don't see as much youth here as I would like to see. I'm here representing the Coalition for Asian Pacific American Youth. We set up a registration drive and helped to get Rithy Uong get elected to the City Council in Lowell. How could I do this drive if I couldn't even speak the Khmer language? I had difficulty doing this, I couldn't even explain to my own parents what a city council or a councilman is.

Trihn Nguyen, Coalition for Asian Pacific American Youth (CAPAY), Boston, MA

Trinh Nguyen is the Director of the Coalition for Asian American Youth (CAPAY), a statewide youth nm organization that promotes bold and innovative youth leadership for development models. She is currently supporting youth development projects in the greater Boston area, Worcester, and Lowell, MA. She also works with progressive foundations and philanthropists to invest in youth leadership development and social change.

I grew up in a low income neighborhood. I was never a whiz, never a valedictorian. I was constantly criticized. Youth are constantly criticized by elders. They say we don't know, don't understand our history and culture. But we do! Maybe not in the way our elders think so, but we are doing it. Young people have played a critical part in change. There are lots of young people doing great honorable work, but do so without recognition. (Gives recognition to young leaders in the audience and describes the great work they are doing).

Sathya P. Pholy, Khmer Society of Fresno, Fresno, CA

Sathya P. Pholy was born in 1972 in Phnom Penh Cambodia. He is the third eldest child in the family of seven children. When the Khmer rouge took over the country in 1975, he was less than three years old. During the Pol Pot's regime he loss his two younger sisters and his grandmother due to diseases and starvation. In 1983 his family left Cambodia to Thailand. At the end of 1984, his eldest brother went back to Cambodia. In 1985 his father was murdered. His father was a trained physician. His mother was a trained nurse. In the Summer of 1987 he and his family arrived in New York City. He was enrolled in eighth grade. In 1989 his family moved to Lowell, MA, where all of his family is living presently. He graduated from Lowell High School in 1992. Sathya attended the University of Massachusetts, Lowell from 1992 to 1993. He moved to Stockton, CA in the summer of 1993. Sathya graduated from San Joaquin Delta College in 1996 and he graduated from the California State University, Stanislaus in 1998. He is currently living in Fresno, CA doing his doctorate in clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology. Presently, he is a Vice Chair of the Khmer Society of Fresno's board. He is also the children activities' coordinator and overseer of the Cambodian Adventists International.

I am a doctoral student in clinical psychology. I am often criticized for not being Khmer enough. They say I don't dress, talk, or hang out with Cambodians enough. I ask, "What is Cambodian? How do they talk? What makes me different? No one can tell me, so I don't have the answers.

I am Cambodian, I live the way I want. I have a dilemma, Khmer and American culture. People ask which I prefer? I try to integrate both. I want to take the best of both rather than deny either of the cultures.

Yung Chi Tran, McGarvin Intermediate, Garden Grove Unified School District, Garden Grove, CA.

Yung Chi Tran was born in 1972, Vietnam. In 1987, he escaped from Vietnam to reunite with his father who left the country 13 years earlier at the end of the war. Yung graduated from Saint John's Seminary College in 1995 and went on to finish his Masters degree in philosophy at California State University of Long Beach. He's currently working as a librarian/media specialist at McGarvin Intermediate, Garden Grove. Yung is involved with the Vietnamese language program at Holy Spirit parish and the religious education for adult at Saint Columban parish. He's also an adjunt faculty member at Saint John's Seminary College.

I came to this country 13 years ago as a refugee. When I first came, I didn't know what to study, so I studied philosophy. Thus, I hope I'm not too boring. Just a brief reflection on our conference theme. What is our past? It is our collective knowledge. What is our future? Hope. We represent hope, and can work together to combat injustice.

Victoria Phi Nguyen, California State University, Long Beach. Long Beach, CA

My name is Victoria Phi Nguyen, and I am a student at CSULB. Besides working toward my Multiple Subjects Credential, I will also be completing the Single Subject Credential in Foreign Language for Vietnamese and acquire a Single Subject Science supplementary. I am taking course work leading a Master Degree in Social and Multicultural Foundation.

Although I am ethnic Vietnamese, I was born in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, in 1973. When the Khmer Rough attacked the capital of Cambodia in 1975, my family had to flee back to Vietnam, which is the homeland of my great grandparents. We lived in Vietnam for 16 years but later we had to leave again because of the communists. In 1990, my family came to the United States of America to be reunited with my grandparents. I was 16 years old when I came to America with my family. Although I did not speak any English, after two years in high school, I was able to graduate with high honors from Jordan High School of Long Beach Unified School District in 1992. In 1995, I received my A.A degree in Physical Science and transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1998, I graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor degree in Psychology. Following my graduation, I joint the service and was sent to San Antonio, Texas, for my basic training. I have been a member of California Air National Guard since 1997. I have spent the last two years preparing for my teaching profession. My inspiration for the future is to become the best teacher in teaching Vietnamese language and Science.

What ever the older generation has done for us, we have to be grateful to them I came to this country when I was 16 years old. When I see others who come at my age, I know they will face the same struggles I did. I don't know how to help them. they may feel left out. When I first came, I didn't know there were organizations out there that could help me.

Chan Sgnoun, Youth Leadership Project, Lowell High School, Lowell, MA.

Chan Sgnoun is currently a Project Coordinator for the Youth Leadership Project at Lowell high School, and a Coordinator of Lowell's Community Charter School. He has experience working with Southeast Asian and Latino youth in the city of Lowell. Chan has presented on numerous panels on issues of youth leadership, parent involvement, and ending racism in schools.

I am from Lowell, Massachusetts. My family didn't come by choice. Terrible things happened to us in our country. Youth are important. Many are joining gangs, but they are our future. One of those gang members may be the future president of NAFEA or other community organizations.

In honoring the past, I thank my parents. They are my gods. We might not know where we come from, and we don't know our history. I can't really sit with them and talk to them about it. But we are here now, so we have to deal with it. Many of us struggle to know who we are. There is a new book out called "First They Killed My Father," written by a Cambodian woman about her experience. My father died two years ago, and I never really got to know him. I used to be involved in a gang. We have to help those kids, they want help. We have to show them the way.

A quote which has inspired me is, "What we do for ourselves, dies with us, but what we do for our communities lives on!"

Panel Moderator: Phitsamay Sychitkokhong

It is so important that we have communication among everyone. We feel so strongly about these issues! Its about our families. It touches our hearts. My parents don't know the work I do for our community. There's no avenue to explain it to them. There are ways, but we haven't found them yet. We know English, we were schooled in it. We know limited amounts of our own language. But we must talk with everyone, family members, each other, policy makers, etc. We must care for each other. It is very hard not to honor past when we wake up everyday and see the faces of our parents. We can make a choice. What kind of values do we put on ourselves, our career choices? Our parents don't want us to suffer the way they did, they want what is best for us. We need the support from each of the generations and our colleagues to make the changes we need for our communities.

Response from Session Convener, Samlong Inthaly, NAFEA VP of Programming

We have only had 25 years in this country. Think about the change these people have had to go through. We started out as refugees - not enough food to eat. One egg and a cup of rice for 8 people. One small room sleeps 8 people. Even though these young people were small then, they remember. The second stage for new immigrants, is to survive in new country. Their parents have to raise them but survive themselves at the same time. The theme of the parents, " have do better than I do"

We know we are not going back to our country. We are staying here. So what are we going to do now? We are constantly facing conflicts of values, competition, trying to be visible, keeping our old identity, and adapting our new identity. These youth up here are our future.