Anourack Khampraaseuth interview

Item

Transcript of of Anourack Khampraaseuth interview

Title

Anourack Khampraaseuth interview

Creator

Khampraaseuth, Anourack
Banh, Jenny

Relation

Central Valley Southeast Asian Successful Voices

Coverage

Fresno, California

Date

2017

Rights

Copyright has been transferred to Fresno State

Identifier

SCMS_casv_00013

extracted text

>> Hello. Welcome to our new Fresno State archive of the Successful Southeast Asian Voices. I'd like to thank you so
much for volunteering your story to help future generations to graduate college and do well. If you can say your name
and spell it.
>> My name is Anourack Khampraaseuth. It's spelled A N O U R A C K and Khampraaseuth is spelled as K H A M P
R A S E U T H.
>> Great. Can you please give me verbal permission to interview you and to deposit into our Fresno State Successful
Southeast Asian Voices?
>> Yes. I give you permission.
>> Great and so we'll start and thank you again. What is your gender?
>> Male.
>> What is your birth year, don't tell me the date, just your birth year and where you were born.
>> April "90.
>> Okay.
>> And I was born in Fresno.
>> Fresno, oh, great. What is your ethnic group?
>> Lao or Lauv.
>> What is your undergraduate major?
>> Civil engineer.
>> What is generation in the United States, are you first generation, 1.5 generation, second or third generation?
>> I'll say second generation.
>> Okay. What is your mother and father's highest education?
>> I would say elementary.
>> What was your family composition that you grew up in, in terms of how many brothers and sisters did you have?
>> I grew up with four brothers and no sisters.
>> Interesting. Did those four brothers go to college?
>> Yeah.
>> All of them?
>> Correct. One didn't finish, but he went to the National Guard, but all of us graduated.
>> Oh, my God. That's very impressive, that's a very prestigious family. Oh, my goodness. [Laughter] you guys should
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do a panel one day. Okay. Great. [Laughter] what was the degree that you got and what's your aspiration
degree that you got, was it a BA?

what was the

>> It was a BS in Civil Engineer.
>> Oh, BS excellent. What were the degrees that your brothers got?
>> My little brother got his [inaudible] in Civil Engineer.
>> Oh.
>> And my two other brothers got a Public Health and the other one got a Criminology
>> Wow.
>>

degree.

>> That's incredible. Did you guys all go to the same high school and what high school was it?
>> We came from Washington Union High School.
>> Where

is that in Fresno?

>> Yes, that's in Fresno, way up by East Fig.
>> Is that like a public high school or that is that a private high school?
>> It's a public high school.
>> And what was your racial ethnic demographics of the high school?
>> Mainly Caucasian, like, probably 20% Asian.
>> And the Asian, what did it make up of?
>> Southeast Asian mainly.
>> Oh, and the Southeast Asian, was it a big mix of Southeast Asians?
>> More Hmong than any other race.
>> Oh, interesting. Going back to going to college and your family is quite unique and that so many people have gone to
college all males as well, why do Laotian males go to college?
>> Well, most of my male friends they didn't go to college because they didn't want to go to college because [inaudible]
or something, and I chose a different route and because I [inaudible] that's what the main reason was.
>> Wait

so talking about your friends who didn't go to college, what did they do instead of college?

>> They work regular jobs, factory jobs, like, they [inaudible] house and stuff, mainly.
>> And then, go ahead on?
>> Oh. I'm sorry, that's about it.
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>> And then, sorry. Can you explain more, like, what pushed you into college when you said your friends didn't go to
college?
>> Oh. Yeah, my friends didn't go to college, but my parents pushed me a lot.
>> Tell me more about your parents, like, how did they push you?
>> They always pushed me by doing good in school, always going to school; never miss a day in school.
>> Oh. Interesting.
>> Always told me to get good grades, yeah.
>> Did they tell you college was a good thing?
>> Yeah, they told me college would be a good thing, but they didn't know what was, like, what was offered in college,
like, the only thing they knew is doctors and lawyers, that's about it.
>> And were you the first person to go to college in your family, or do you have brothers who went before you?
>> I have my older brother that went before me.
>> And he went to Fresno State?
>> Correct. We all graduated from Fresno State.
>> Oh. Excellent. And so did you help each other or were you just all on your own or
>> Well, we're all [inaudible] so we all were lost, like, we didn't know what we wanted to do. Like for the first two
years we were just wondering around and doing just, like, trying out certain majors and stuff. Like, in high school we
didn't oh, I'm sorry.
>> Go ahead.
>> I said in high school we didn't get to explore many different majors or different
>> Interesting. Did you think
high school?

what college offered really.

do you think that your high school should have done a better job or it was just a typical

>> It was a typical high school, but I think they could done a better job by exploring you know, I mean, in like, you
know, showing students like different fields and open some different degrees and careers.
>> Looking back at your college year career, do you think that Lao students have strong relationships with faculty or
administrators?
>> Certain ones but not all.
>> Okay. Why?
>> Because they weren't a lot of them like, when I went [inaudible] a lot of them weren't active with the like,
[inaudible] clubs, like, I was really active.
>> Really? Speak more of that.
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>> Yeah, because I was the president of Lao Student Association.
>> Oh, my goodness that's great.
>> Yeah. So I was really in the Lao culture.
>> What did you do?
>> Oh, sorry.
>> How did you get into it? What did you do? What did it do? Tell me more about this club.
>> I started off freshmen year, I mean, I didn't know nobody there because I was alone because I had no friends that
went to college with me. So I was, like, lonely in there next I end up joining I saw a develop page it had a Southeast
Asian Club [inaudible] LSA and I ended up joining?
>> Oh, wow.
>> And I ended up being active with them and, like, constantly networking with people and I found it, you know, found
something fun to do at college instead of going to school and going and studying, you know, and going home so I had
friends talk to.
>> Great. What you guys

like, what activities did you do?

>> We did a lot of stuff like volunteer, camping cultural heritage show, we had movie night.
>> Oh, interesting.
>> Just being involved with everyone, yeah.
>> Interesting. In the movie nights, what movies did you watch?
>> Oh, we watched like, sometimes we watched like hero movies, but any other time we watched like historic movies
like about [inaudible] or, like, like I don't know we have our movies that's like about heritage.
>> Oh, great. Okay.
>> Yeah.
>> And then how did you

what's the story, how did you get to become the president?

>> That one was [inaudible] I found out that the club was dying and the no one wanted to take over the presidency for
the following year and so it was there for two weeks and I felt bad so I ended up, like, just applying for it and became
the president after that.
>> Great. Okay. Wow. So you like saved it.
>> Yeah, I saved it.
>> Awesome. What do you think the value is if you're speaking to other students of joining clubs, like, or specifically in
ethnic clubs, what value do you think students would have by joining a club?
>> You create a lot of networking with people and, like, you make college fun.
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>> Oh, interesting.
>> So it won't be boring, yeah.
>> Oh, interesting. Okay. So great and particularly interesting that you picked a co ethnic club; was there any other
clubs that you joined?
>> Oh, yes. I also joined the Filipino club also.
>> Were you in the Filipino fraternity?
>> Oh, no just the club.
>> Oh, how interesting. Why did you join a different ethnic club?
>> Because I like exploring different ethnic [inaudible]
>> Oh, great. And is the Filipino club, is it mostly a male club?
>> It's a mixture.
>> Mixture, okay.
>> 50/50.
>> What did you guys do in that club?
>> Learned about the culture, same thing as like you could go out, have fun with each other, socialize.
>> Oh, interesting, how great. Okay. Thinking back at your school, you said that Lao students some of them do, some of
them don't have strong relationships with administrative faculty, thinking back at just faculties and teachers that you've
had in the past maybe high school alone, Do you think that your teachers had high expectations of you, like, as a
person? Neutral, in high school, yeah, was it neutral?
>> Probably, yeah. High school, yeah.
>> Oh, tell me more.
>> It was kind of neutral.
>> What about the co ethnics, they have high or neutral or low expectations for Southeast Asians?
>> I think it's about the same, probably neutral.
>> Okay. Speaking back for yourself, and you talked about how you just watched movies, but you did many things in
your Lao club as president, do you remember any notable media depictions of your Lao group in the media?
>> Oh, yeah we were in like in The Collegian, I remember that.
>> What's that?
>> The newspaper for Fresno State.

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>> Oh, okay. And what about it, what did it say?
>> It was just promoting our culture and being aware that we're here and we're not, like, that we're not, like, no one, that
we're somebody.
>> So was it

are you talking about

are you speaking of the Pacific Review?

>> Yeah, I believe so.
>> Oh, great yes, yes. It's like an Asian newspaper, right?
>> Correct.
>> Oh, great. Okay.
>> Thinking back you did actually quite extraordinary in college by being in engineering which one can say is the
hardest major that you could choose and you did quite, quite well with a very high GPA, you said your GPA was three
point what was it?
>> 3.1.
>> Wow. That's amazing. Looking back, did your high school prepare you well enough for college?
>> I wouldn't say no, they didn't prepare me that well for college.
>> Did you take like AP Calculus and those classes?
>> No, I didn't actually.
>> Oh, then that's even more amazing. [Laughter] okay. So the second part of the interview I ask about barriers, what do
you think are barriers to your academics I mean, what do you think impeded your academic success, did you ever
work outside, for instance school?
>> Yeah, I actually did I was a tutor.
>> Oh, what tutor
>> For my high school.
>> Okay. How many hours?
>> I'll say about sixteen hours a week.
>> Oh my gosh, that's a lot of hours. Did you do math?
>> Yes, I did math.
>> Okay. Wow. Great. Can you think of any other barriers such as cultural or financial?
>> I think financial too.
>> Did you

do you think that you didn't get enough financial aid help?

>> I mean, I got a good amount of help, I don't believe it helped me, but I think probably a little bit more.
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>> Okay.
>> So I could work less and probably study more.
>> Right.
>> Get a better grade.
>> Good point. What about

what about educational help, did you need tutoring or not?

>> Oh, yeah, definitely, definitely.
>> Okay. What was
favorite subject?

I mean, offhand what was your

I mean, what's your favorite subject and what's your least

>> My favorite subject is math I would say because I'm really good at it.
>> Oh, wow.
>> But physics would be my toughest subject.
>> Okay.
>> But I like physics. [Laughter]
>> Okay. Interesting. Wow. You are a very rare person okay? Interesting. Now, do you believe that you were helped by
being a male, a Lao male or do you think it was a hindrance to be a Lao male, do you think it would have been easier to
be a female or no difference?
>> I think no difference.
>> Okay. Can I ask you any other
as a barrier?

did I

that's my last question for barriers, is there anything else you might have had

>> I'll say friends too probably a barrier for one.
>> Is it
>> [Inaudible] oh, sorry.
>> Oh, go on, I'm sorry. [Laughter]
>> I feel like all my friends didn't go to college and they're like, you know, kind of hold me back a little bit.
>> Tell me more.
>> Kind of, like, you know, stop hanging with them kind of a little bit. [Inaudible]
>> Okay. All right. So it was kind of a barrier to have friends who didn't go to college?
>> Kind of, like, not the ones

like the ones that don't support your college degree.

>> Like always [inaudible] like, those kind of friends.
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>> Correct. Do you think you had that, do you think you had friends that didn't support your college degree?
>> Yeah, because they feel like they're not, you know, doing nothing with their life so they feel left out too so they try
and out you down about it.
>> Good point. Did you feel that you're brothers supported you, because all of your brothers went to college so
>> Yeah, my brothers supported me.
>> Okay. Great. So the last part of the interview is about person enablers. You know, you are very rare you picked one
of the hardest majors at Fresno State that you can pick and you did quite well in it and also you're also a student leader
as a president of a Lao club
>> Yeah.
>> Looking back at you, why did what
personality that made you so successful?

you know, there's nature and there's nurture, why did

what is it about your

>> Mostly I was active and talkative with people and friendly. I like making new friends, like, I made a lot of friends,
like, in my engineering major, like, a lot of new friends, like, I made good friends too. And we still hang out till this day.
>> That's great.
>> It's pretty cool.
>> That is awesome.
>> Yeah.
>> Making friends I think is a great advice piece that you're giving.
>> Yeah.
>> Anything else, like, were you like this
ninth grade, twelfth grade?

did you always do well in school, were like this third grade, sixth grade,

>> Actually I was.
>> Oh.
>> I actually, like, get good grades, but only thing I really know is I just try and get an A in every class, but school
wasn't really, like, [inaudible] as much I guess.
>> Did you struggle at all?
>> Yeah. At English I struggled at first, but then I got over it.
>> Okay.
>> Because my parents didn't speak English when I was a baby, or a kid.
>> Right. So how did you get

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>> It was like a hard language to learn.
>> So how did you get over it, how did you learn English?
>> Oh, TV and school mainly.
>> TV, school okay. Interesting.
>> Yeah. Thinking back, you talk a lot bridges to your success, you were the president of the Lao up club, you were an
active tutor, even a Filipino club, can you think of anything else that helped you in your college success?
>> Parents support would be one and yeah, I think that'll be it that parents support seeking help from, like, guidance
from counselors too.
>> Did you were you I mean, you were the head of a community, kind of, club when you were growing up, were
you part of any Lao Association or did you your parents to take you to a Lao Language Club?
>> No. I wasn't a part of
>> Oh. Interesting okay. Can you think of any community things that enabled you at all I don't know if you, did you
have church, dancing?
>> I mean, I volunteer at my temple in the

kind of have a -- they call it [inaudible] is what we call it.

>> Interesting.
>> I'm not sure what it translates to.
>> Yeah, I actually know what you're talking about. Can you speak more about do you think that your religious
beliefs, kind of, helped in you college or do you think it did not at all, like, kind of, help you in college, kind of, to
graduate.
>> I mean, it kind of helped me, because it helped me just to better myself and do good in life.
>> And you're a Buddhist?
>> Yes?
>> Okay. Great. Was Fresno State a warm environment to you?
>> What happened?
>> Was Fresno State a warm environment for you?
>> Oh, yeah definitely?
>> Thinking back at your old professors, like, who was a professor you liked
makes a bad professor?

what makes a good professor, what

>> A good professor is when they talk to you, communicate with you because I'm able to go to office hours with them
and talk one and on and it helped.
>> Okay.

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>> And it they help to guide you and tell you where to go and, you know, they're there for you.
>> Okay. Excellent. What's a professor?
>> One that has no office hours.
>> Oh, yeah. [Laughter]
>> Or the one that don't want talk to you or expects you to know everything.
>> Good point. Thinking back, did you graduate in four years, five years, six years?
>> I think maybe about six years.
>> Okay.
>> Because I was under [inaudible] for like two years?
>> Okay. Any advice to students about finding path to graduate in a actually, I think that is like the norm, is there any
advice you have for students to finding their major or their passion in, sort of, their major?
>> Yeah, I mean, exploring will be one of the main reasons, like, take classes that you think that you're going to like.
Like I did different classes and ended liking some classes that I took. Also, it'd be also good to explore during high
school when you're like a senior.
>> Okay. Good point. So now the last part of the interview I ask things like, do you think them or does it make a
difference to you. Smaller class, does it make after difference? Do you want that or no?
>> Yes. Smaller classes would be great.
>> How about co ethnic professors, do you want more Lao professors, do you want more Asian professors or no
difference?
>> I think knowing the fact they're Lao is, kind of, more welcoming, to talk to.
>> Good point.
>> I believe. But I mean, to me it don't even matter, but I know some students who would like prefer to talk to someone
that they to talk to like a Lao person or talk to an Asian person.
>> Interesting. What about co ethnic classmates, do you want more Southeast Asians, or Lao classmates?
>> I mean, it'd be nice to, but you can't always have what you want?
>> What about ethic clubs, do you want more ethnic clubs at Fresno State?
>> Oh, yeah definitely.
>> I mean
>> It'd be cool if they had like Vietnamese club or like any different club.
>> Okay. Great. Looking back, you are actually, kind of, somewhat recent graduate, what college success workshops do
you think would be helpful?
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>> Networking.
>> Networking. Okay. Let me write that down, okay.
>> Yeah.
>> Networking. Okay.
>> Also probably helping, like, helping finding your major would be one and [inaudible]
>> Okay. So finding your major. Okay.
>> Yeah, because my little brother graduated within, like, four years.
>> Really? It's your little brother?
>> He started

yeah, because he helped

I guided him

>> Okay.
>>

to graduate, yeah.

>> What was his major?
>> Same thing, Civil Engineer.
>> Oh, interesting, okay.
>> Yeah.
>> So the last part is there any questions I didn't ask you about successful bridges and then I'll go through my last
question [laughter]
>> [Laughter] I think that's it.
>> Okay.
>> Can't think of it.
>> Okay. So, you know, I'm sure one day a Lao student maybe a Hmong or a [inaudible] student will listen to this and
they'll wonder what advice you have for them to do well, like, you're very successful. What advice do you have for the
third or fourth generation to do well in college and, kind of, see the value in just education alone?
>> Well, I'll say join Southeast Asian clubs.
>> Okay. Join Southeast
>> And be active
>> Okay.
>> And network with people and not everyone's going to finish college within four years, but as long as you finish that's
what matters.
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>> Right.
>> And also seek for help, for guidance, like, talk to a counselor; go to a learning center for like help with your classes
[inaudible] that you could use it's a tool out there. That would probably be it.
>> That is great advice, very great advice.
>> Thank you [laughter]
>> It's like all around advice, a lot of things you said. Great. Is there anything else you want to add or if not, that'll be
the conclusion of our interview.
>> [Laughter] I think that would be it.
>> Okay. Thank you let me turn this off.

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