Ma Lee Vang '07, Gustavus Adolphus College

Recent Graduate Ignores Corporate Paycheck and Finds Fulfillment Helping Immigrants and Refugees

Ma Lee Vang, an educational outreach specialist at the Hennepin County Office of Multicultural Services, is most happy when she helps the immigrants and refugees that arrive in Minneapolis with limited resources. People who often don’t speak English will visit her office seeking emergency help.

“I’ve been able to help families who needed housing or job assistance right away,” Vang said. “It’s so rewarding to say, ‘okay, I helped that family.’”

Vang, a 2007 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, initially pursued a corporate job, but is thankful she chose a different route. “I had this really bright image of what a career woman does. After getting the job with Hennepin County, I realized I don’t get paid much, but I’m so happy doing the work.”

Though Vang, who is Hmong, was born and raised in Minnesota, she can relate to her clients’ diverse backgrounds.  To do so, she draws on a combination of skills and personal experience she received at Gustavus Adolphus, where she majored in communication studies and minored in religious studies.

Although Vang uses “book learning” for some of her job, she must also relate to her clients on an emotional level. Studying abroad in Australia during her junior year gave Vang a taste of what it is like to “start from scratch” in a new country.

Vang entered the study abroad program with her good friend, who is also Hmong. The two initially felt very homesick and decided it was because they missed the close-knit Hmong community in the Twin Cities. To remedy the situation the girls flipped open an Australian phone book and cold-called anyone with a Hmong last name (there are only 14 Hmong last names). They ended up meeting a family who invited them into their home for dinner. Vang treasures this experience of making a bridge between people of the same culture on two different continents.

One year later Vang researched her own culture to write a senior paper analyzing a traditional Hmong song. She worked closely with a professor to finesse the paper, and eventually presented it at the Undergraduate Communication Research Conference at St. Thomas University.

At her current job, Vang uses the skills she developed while writing her senior paper. “I have a job that requires constant communication with people. I’m also in charge of my office newsletter, so I write articles and interview people. I rely on what I learned in school to do this.”

Favorite Web site: Facebook.com.

Book: “My friends think I’m really corny, but I love Nora Roberts. I collect her books. I recently found out she sells more books than Stephen King.”

Hero: “My parents have always been a major source of inspiration. They’ve gone through a lot. What my parents were able to do is something I’m trying to make up for. I’m the first in my family to consider a private institution and graduate from it. I should be able to get the opportunities that my parents didn’t have.”

What was the most surprising thing about college: “Going to Gustavus was a huge culture shock! I came from Arlington High School in St. Paul. When I went to school the majority of our student body was African American and Asian American. Seeing Caucasians was not an everyday experience. My first roommate in college had never heard about Hmong people. It was a big experience for me. I could count every single Hmong person at Gustavus.”

Why it is important to go to college: “I’ve grown tremendously from the four years I was in college. You become independent because there are a lot of things that you have to start figuring out for yourself.

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