By Andy Yang
HMoob students at UW-Oshkosh continuously expressed feelings of isolation and lack of belonging on campus. According to an interview with Yuli, a nursing student, she stated that,
“Especially in class too, I feel like it’s really hard to make friends in the nursing program that I am in because I just feel like everybody just already knows everybody and has like their own group.”
Like Yuli, HMoob students in both STEM and non-STEM programs at UW-Oshkosh shared with us their overwhelming feelings of isolation on campus. In dealing with these experiences of campus isolation, students further reported that the UW-Oshkosh Hmong Studies program has provided inclusive spaces for them to build community. Additionally, several students are conflicted with their relationship to being a Hmong-identified person on campus. This has resulted in mixed feelings about partaking in Hmong Studies courses.
Isolation at UW-Oshkosh
As the UW-Oshkosh Paj Ntaub Research Team continues interviews with HMoob college students about STEM pushouts, or the processes of being redirected from selected STEM majors, some common themes have surfaced. One theme is the feeling of isolation or lack of belonging in their respective programs and the overall campus. HMoob students identified several factors that increase isolation or lack of belonging such as being a first-generation college student, being a transfer student, and difficulty in building relationships with peers. These factors have made transitioning into college life lonely for many HMoob students. Our larger project also examines how these experiences intersect with being a HMoob student attending a predominantly white institution (PWI). Participants who identified as first-generation students have noted that there is little to no guidance from their families as their parents did not have prior college experience. Thus, these students often developed a coping strategy to solely depend on themselves when it comes to navigating their college career. Even when they are in dire need of help, several participants would feel too timid to ask for assistance because they did not want to burden others or be judged. The sense of having to be independent and self-sufficient has impacted the difficulty they encountered when asking for assistance.
Transfer students find themselves on campus with limited opportunities to make friends. This limited social network can make it difficult for college students to feel comfortable in their program courses especially when there is group work or class discussions. As they advance in their education, non-transfer students have more opportunities to connect with other classmates in the same major. Building relationships with classmates is beneficial because students can discuss course assignments, easily create a team for group projects, and share experiences about other courses. This relationship is harder for transfer students to build as they have spent less time with their classmates compared to non-transfer students. Xai, a transfer student majoring in Radio/TV/Film, expressed that,
“Since I’m a transfer student, I felt like I was excluded in classes because I didn’t know the people who I was with I would say in my grade level. It is very difficult to students to catch up on materials for missed days or to join a team when they do not know anybody in the class. Therefore, not having friends or anybody to rely on can increase lack of belonging in one’s program.”
In addition, some STEM majors, especially nursing, are very competitive leaving no time for students to connect with one another. With a competitive major, some students feel as if they are always trying to one-up other students which can make it harder to build relationships. Yuli also stated her opinion on the nursing program that,
“I feel like it’s very competitive, very competitive. I also feel like when I first started the program or entered the program, it was welcoming. But later on, as the years went by, it just felt like we were just numbers instead of a student who needed help.”
With highly competitive programs, students like Xai and Yuli who already experience social exclusion are further isolated from seeking academic support.
The HMoob American College Paj Ntaub survey
The HMoob American College Paj Ntaub study is currently in the process of analyzing data from our survey of HMoob students in the University of Wisconsin System (n=669; 40.5 response rate). While analyses and dissemination of the survey results are forthcoming, the preliminary findings indicate that HMoob students who participate in HMoob studies courses are more likely to report a higher sense of belonging on campus. In this blog we will provide preliminary findings that address the relationship between our measure of co-ethnic participation in HMoob studies on campus belonging (Hurtado & Carter, 1997), which show a strong positive association; and we will illustrate the connection with a narrative case study of one HMoob student’s experiences at UW-Milwaukee. Our measure of co-ethic studies participation comprised 4 items measured on a 5-point scale asking students to rate agreement that HMoob Studies classes were “offered and promoted,” that the student felt encouraged to participate by peers, faculty, and advisors, that the student had participated in such courses, that the student had “learned and benefited” from doing so. The regression model of the impact of co-ethnic participation controlled a variety of factors (see below), predicted campus belonging (p<0.001).11. The regression models controlled for the following: Gender, LGBTQ-identified, HMoob Language ability, Disability, Age, First-generation college status, Housing, Financial concern, Family support, Level of enrollment, GPA, Transfer student status, Stem program enrollment.
Building community through Hmong Studies
One resource that HMoob students reported utilizing was taking the Hmong Studies courses offered at UW Oshkosh, which aided them with more inclusive educational experiences as well as learning more about their culture and ethnic background. However, throughout our interviews, many participants have voiced differing opinions on how HMoob studies have impacted their sense of belonging.
Despite HMoob students being one of the largest groups of minoritized students of color on campus, a majority of participants have mentioned that there were at most one or two other HMoob students in their program classes. On the other hand, HMoob studies courses have helped connect HMoob students with one another. Students reported that taking HMoob studies courses allowed them to come together and share their experiences. Through these shared experiences, HMoob students reported a higher sense of belonging. During an interview, Paj Zaub, a student majoring in social work shared her experience taking an HMoob studies course,
“It’s just really good to know more about your culture and I also feel, like, you know a little closed off from my own like culture, because with all those kinds of like gender-based violence, all of that domestic violence, all above, like the, you know, gender inequality, all that stuff. But there’s still a beauty in our culture, in our language and all of that. And I had to understand that I need to love who I really am, you know. I feel like I can elaborate more, but I don’t want to talk so much. But yeah, to take on the class, and it was really fun. I really liked it. I mean, there was a lot of other Hmong people there that I knew.”
Growing up, many HMoob students began to feel more distant from their culture. One reason is their discontent with certain cultural practices they found disagreeable. Another reason is that they did not want to be discriminated against due to their culture and traditions. Therefore, many HMoob students, during their middle to high school years began to chase after the American lifestyle to avoid their traditions and culture. However, as the opinions of society change and many more people have come to know and accept the Hmong culture, many HMoob students begin to embrace their ethnicity and are no longer afraid to speak out about their differences. Along with the acceptance of culture, being surrounded by other HMoob students who understand HMoob worldviews helps to build a stronger sense of belonging. Sharing similar knowledge about HMoob culture and ways of being, many HMoob students can build sympathetic relationships with one another.
Why do some students steer away from Hmong Studies?
Despite the benefits HMoob studies course bring to students, there are still many factors that discourages HMoob students from participating in Hmong Studies courses and programs. One factor might be related to HMoob students’ relationship and understanding of being HMoob. Since some HMoob students have been distant from learning about their heritage background, they feel as though they are not HMoob enough to join these courses. In an interview, Lee Las, a marketing student has voiced her opinion stating that,
“I think for sure, like my first thought was like, oh, like I don’t speak enough Hmong, maybe I won’t understand, you know. I think that was like my only concern.”
HMoob students may feel embarrassed to join HMoob Studies courses due to self-doubt and inaccessibility to HMoob culture. Although HMoob Studies courses are not about culture, this assumption that HMoob Studies is to learn HMoob culture has impacted students’ decisions to engage in the courses. Students may feel ashamed that they do not know enough about being HMoob even though they are HMoob themselves. There are pressures to know their HMoob culture, and most importantly, be able to speak the native language. The feelings of not having “HMoob skills” to engage effectively can deter individuals from participating in these courses.
In addition, another factor that can dissuade HMoob students from joining could be due to the fact that they did not grow up around other HMoob students. Their sense of disconnection from the HMoob student body also made them feel unsure about how to associate with other HMoob students. Sha Sha who is majoring in social services has shared in an interview that,
“I feel like towards Hmong people, I’m just kind of like more like, I guess, shy. But I just don’t know how to explain that feeling towards it, because I did kind of like grew up without like them being around. So, it’s like easier for me to just like, I guess, avoid them.”
Growing up in areas with lower HMoob population can make HMoob students feel pressured to act as the middle person. In other words, HMoob students feel as though they can neither connect with their white peers or HMoob peers. It is important to note that HMoob students assume a middle-person position due to white supremacist practices at schools (Lee, 2005, 2022). In her article, Lee argues that the standards of whiteness are the basis of how other students of color are judged. Because the standard of whiteness is considered the norm, HMoob American students and other minority groups are seen as culturally deficient. Knowing that their culture and traditions are different from the norm, HMoob students find it difficult to fit in. Being in areas with a lower HMoob population also makes it harder to connect with other HMoob students. Being alone in a room with other HMoob peers who are already in their social groups increase the feelings of isolation for some HMoob students. Thus, some HMoob students may intentionally exclude themselves to avoid feeling further isolated from their own ethnic group. Feeling like the middle person can make it more difficult for HMoob students to make friends, resulting in an increase of feeling “different” and invisible.
Conclusions and implications
As HMoob students navigate their overall sense of belonging on campus, HMoob students are also trying to make sense of what it means to have HMoob Studies courses on a PWI. Specifically, our findings suggestions that HMoob Studies become a stand-in for studying HMoob culture rather than interrogating systemic oppression and power. This complicated relationship with HMoob Studies suggests that PWI like UWO need to address the problematic cultural framing used to described critical and significant programs like HMoob Studies. While UWO HMoob students work through their experiences of isolation on campus, our study demonstrates that culturally relevant programs like the Hmong Studies program does provide institutional support for HMoob American undergraduates. When speaking about the benefits, HMoob Studies courses have provided a safe space for HMoob students to meet and interact with other HMoob students. The UWO Hmong Studies program also allowed many HMoob students to embrace their own heritage background and question issues of power and hierarchy.
Although Hmong Studies courses can be influential, offering courses without institutional programming to foster interpersonal and social relationships does not allow for HMoob students to connect with each other. HMoob students also need opportunities to process and find their own ethnic identity outside of academic spaces to embrace their own culture and sense of belonging as a HMoob person. Although it is difficult to determine what can be done to achieve this, Hmong Studies courses has shown that students feel a sense of belonging. The next step would be to increase multiple social and emotional support programs to encourage taking Hmong studies courses and provide a more inclusive environment for those who participate. HMoob students’ critical feedback on HMoob Studies courses and campus climate can lead to improvements and inclusive experiences for all students.
References:
Lee, S. J. (2004). Up against whiteness: Students of color in our schools. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 121-125.
Lee, S. J. (2022). Resisting Asian American invisibility: The politics of race and education. Teachers College Press.