Suzie Saechao interview
Item
Title
Suzie Saechao interview
Creator
Saechao, Suzie
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_00020
extracted text
>> Hello, thank you so much for letting me interview you. If you can say your name, the date, and spell
your name and please verbally say that you consent for letting me interview you about graduation rates and
if you can start in 5, in 3 minutes.
>> The graduation rate is 12...
>> So thank you Miss Suzie. If you could actually just tell me your name, the dates, and spell out your name
and please verbally say that you consent for letting me record you to be put into the Fresno State archive.
>> Okay my name is Suzie Saechao, it's S U Z I E, the last name is S A E C H A O and I do consent for this
recording.
>> Great, okay so we talked about earlier that this is... and you can see the questions in front of you, this is
to actually to go over this oral history is a life history to improve graduation rates so at the end of this
questioning, feel free to add anything that you want to see Fresno State to have so we can improve the
graduation rates? Okay... Alright, what is your gender?
>> Female.
>> Okay, what is the, just the birth year?
>> 1988.
>> What is your undergraduate major?
>> Biology.
>> What is your generation in United States?
>> I am second-generation.
>> Okay. What is your mother and father's highest education?
>> Father has AS degree and mother has no education.
>> Okay, what was your family like growing up in terms of composition and what is it like now? Like what is
the makeup of...
>> So my parents came to United States after the Vietnam War without any education, any English, and
growing up, we all staying in a very small apartment because they had to receive welfare, you know,
government assistance so but they do make sure that we do go to a grade school, you know elementary
school, they take us to school every day...
>> Okay.
>> But from then, where they had no education, no English to now where they do speak fluent in English
and with my dad having a little bit more education, he made a little more money.
>> And I should interrupt you, what is your ethnic group?
>> Mien.
>> Okay and tell us, what are Mien people?
>> Mien people are originally from China and we lived in the mountains of China. They are known, a lot
people don't know about Mien people so that's where we tell them we're Chinese because we don't want to
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explain it or you know, we don't have, I don't really have much background until I asked my grandpa what
really Mien is and he just said we were from China, you know, just different culture, different language.
>> Great, what is your GPA?
>> Last semester I held a 3.3 GPA.
>> Okay, what is your ultimate degree aspiration?
>> Okay, so I want to get a bachelor in biology and study for the pharmacy, the PCAT and try to get into
pharmacy school. I want do research in medicine.
>> [inaudible] yeah, I do [inaudible].
>> Okay, was your high school public or private?
>> It was public.
>> Okay, what was the racial demographics of your school? Like what elementary or high school was it,
what's it called I guess?
>> Oh my high school was Sunnyside High School.
>> In?
>> In Fresno, California.
>> Oh okay.
>> It was mostly Hispanics and Hmong.
>> Any Mien?
>> There was probably about 6 Mien people, yeah not very many.
>> What is your favorite subject and least favorite subject?
>> Least favorite subject is English because I think it's very hard for me and my favorite is math. I thought
that math was, it came easy to me.
>> Okay, who's your favorite teacher? What makes like a good teacher and what makes a bad teacher? Like
what makes good professor? What makes a bad professor and why?
>> A good professor will answer questions and just have time outside of classroom because sometimes kids
don't want to ask questions during class because of how shy they are or if they're going to get you know,
judged and then for bad teachers, when they just keep lecturing and have no interactions with students, just
lecture even if there are questions, some student will ask a question and the teacher just doesn't really
answer the question, just keep going with the lecture.
>> Good to know. And again, this part here, usually people don't answer the questions because they don't
know the answer, so I don't know why I put these questions but why do Mien people go to college? Why or
not?
>> Okay...
>> Like you are very successful [not clear], one of the 12 percent...
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>> Yeah.
>> Why do Mien go to college and why do they not go to college?
>> So why they don't go to college... Okay so why do Mien people go to college? I go to college because I
have a good support system who encouraged me to go to college and be a better me, you know, be a better
person, help out the rest of the people in the world. Mien people don't go to college because they're afraid of
challenges, afraid of new opportunities, they're afraid.
>> What's the alternative to college? If you don't go to college, how do you make money if you're Mien?
>> The Mien people, they either do farming or just have multiple jobs that are, you know, under pay or
overworking you know and then government assistance they have too so.
>> True, does it seem like it's a better alternative to many people?
>> I think it's not a better alternative, it's just that's what they're comfortable with. They don't like to meet
challenge.
>> So I know you're speaking probably of the older generation but are you also speaking at your
generation?
>> For my generation, I am speaking of that too because my sister is not too far along from me and I ask
her why don't you go to college and she said well because you have a job that pays decent and that she can
live off of and she can ladder up so...
>> Good point, okay so we talked about this in class, actually why do Mien people go to... why is there a
difference [not clear], talked about South Asians, Mr. Harry talked about how 70 percent go to college versus
you know, Southeast Asian in aggregate around 12. Why do you say there's, [not clear] what 's the reason
for that?
>> The reason for why some of the Asians go to higher education or...
>> Why is there a difference between South Asians, 70 percent and Southeast Asians, 12 percent.
>> Southeast Asians, I think the reason they don't go to higher education is like money, you know, or they
have kids and they're thinking of supporting the family so they have to go make the money, you know,
farming and you know, the little jobs that they have and I think their parents, they didn't go to school so of
course you know, most likely if your parents don't go to school, it seems like the kids won't go to school
because they'll have to take over the farm or something like that.
>> Good point. Okay, do Mien students have good relationships with faculty or an administrator? Why and
why not?
>> Mien students do not have good relationships or strong relationships with the faculties because it seems
like they don't reach out to the faculties or they, I think a lot of them are shy, you know, they don't like to
bother other people. I mean that's my reason and then I work full time because that's how I would pay for
my education and materials so then I think, oh I don't want to bother you know, staff but I do need the
connection, I do need to reach out but then I just go to work like I don't even want to bother.
>> Good point. Have you ever been mentored and what were the teacher expectations for you? For you
were they neutral, low, or high?
>> I've never been mentored. I don't know what that is, I don't know how that experience is.
>> Wow, it just means that like someone is willing to [inaudible]... help you like that. Is it uncommon thing
in Asia?
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>> Yeah, for some reason, we don't ask for help, I mean even though we know we need it...
>> Yeah.
>> I don't know why.
>> Something to think about later. Okay, so thank you so much, that's one third of the thing is done, okay.
So now we're going to talk about... What about teachers... You said you were like 6 Mien but what were the
teacher-expectations of your ethnic peers, of the Mien?
>> I think they kind of blend us in with the Hmongs.
>> Okay so was it low, high, neutral?
>> It was low expectations, it wasn't high, I mean they didn't really interact with us or...
>> Your teachers?
>> Yeah, but I think it's because we were very shy too you know.
>> Okay, good to know. Okay, so we saw Tony Lescaly [assumed spelling] in class...
>> Oh yeah....
>> [inaudible] laughing the whole time. What were the notable meaning of that documentary, the Mien
documentary, do you remember any media depictions of the Mien at all, media?
>> No, I mean, but now when you find Google or YouTube, there is some Mien media so...
>> Oh, okay.
>> Yeah but now what's new is there is a... He's pretty famous for a Mien because he used to be a senior...
>> Oh okay.
>> In Sacramento, he does this I think once a month or once a week, he has a radio station, he speaks in
Mien...
>> Oh really!
>> So...
>> What's, I mean, what's his name?
>> Yao, Yao, Y A O, and the Zong is like Z O N G.
>> Z O N G, okay.
>> Yeah, if you Google it, I think that's how you spell it. You will see his radio station, he's live, I mean,
camera's on him and he's just speaking Mien, he was trying to educate the Mien people that's what...
>> Interesting.
>> Yeah, I wish you would understand that because it's kind of hard for me to understand because he
speaks kind of fast and it's like his words are the big words in English, you know, like he's speaking big
words in Mien.
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>> What's his generation?
>> He's first-generation here.
>> So 50s. He's like fifty something?
>> Yeah, I think he's older than that.
>> Okay, oh really.
>> I mean, he still looks very young you know but maybe because he married a young wife [laughter].
>> As is the case of many...
>> Yeah, I know, that is true.
>> Alright, do you think that you have significant academic preparation for college?
>> No, I mean because my parents didn't go to high school besides I mean college besides my dad finishing
his AS which you know, he said that was hard to do because of kids, but for preparation for college, now
there are so many things that I can read on the Internet to prepare myself and having the support of my
you know, boyfriend who's educated, he's pushing me, telling me his experience, so that's helpful.
>> Excellent, okay so [inaudible] probably 30 minutes.
>> Take your time, I just want to make sure you guys need anything.
>> Yeah, we're fine.
>> Thank you.
>> You're welcome.
>> Okay, so one third is done now so second third and the last third.
>> Yeah, okay.
>> So now you talk about barriers, and you could talk about yourself or actually just Mien people in general
so you can talk about the aggregate.
>> Okay, right.
>> Do you think that Mien people have any barriers to higher education success, the group? What is the
barrier?
>> It's just...
>> To get into that BA, graduating...
>> To even get into college, they'll think it's not for them because like I said earlier, their parents didn't go
to school you know, so it was hard for the first-generation to even push themself into school, nor even into
grade school so...
>> So you're speaking for the second-generation now?
>> Yeah.
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>> Because you said the first generation...
>> And for the second generation, luckily, you know now we have access like to internet to read things and
why we need to go to college and if we don't go to college, you're not going to make enough money
somehow to provide for your future family you know, so I think for the barriers, I think it's finance...
>> Financial, cultural, financial and generational.
>> Okay... Is there any effect of the secret war at all?
>> Oh yeah, definitely because first of all, they didn't even get credit for it. I mean, all they got was a piece
of certificate, that says, oh you know, you're in the Lao American... what it says on the certificate but a lot of
them lost their certificate from moving, you know so they don't have anything to show but all they have is
stories and flashbacks, you know.
>> Do they, we talked about in class, there's something called Sudden Hmong Nocturnal Death Syndrome
where they wake up, I think that was missing, they wake up and they're not alive.
>> Yeah.
>> Do they have it and that's mostly Hmong...
>> I know, it's mostly Hmongs, for Mien, I'm not sure, I can't really say that.
>> Just wondering, okay. Alright, do you work outside of school? How many hours? And does that impede
your graduation, particularly your 4-year graduation?
>> Yeah, it does. I do work outside of school, I have a full-time job, working 40 hours a week, sometimes
more and it does hold me back from taking more classes because of the hours I work and I wish I didn't
have to work so much, I mean at least I want to work because you know, I need the money, but I want to
take more classes but if I don't work and just take classes, how am I going to you know, it's hard.
>> That's a good point. If you are given a fellowship, financial aid, full financial aid on campus, do you think
that would help you graduate?
>> Oh yeah, definitely. I would focus on school, take as many classes as I can handle you know, and focus
on that and finish school faster than what I am doing now.
>> Do you think that, we talked about all barriers, you talked about educational barriers, cultural barriers,
and financial barriers, do you think you've already answered those questions. Do you think that there's any
gender barrier or health barrier that like for the Mien or are there any barriers like gender, do you think that
being a woman has affected your graduation?
>> Oh yeah, because growing up as a you know, woman, a Mien female, they say that we're supposed to
just cook and clean you know, take care of the children, that's what we're brought up to learn, is that, we
have to learn how to cook, we have to learn how to take care of the kids. Even like kids as in brothers and
sisters younger than us and clean the house. You know, they didn't tell us, "okay make sure you go to
college and finish college" you know, but recently you know, that's when I told you that my parents are
more Americanized now. Now they know but it took them how many years to know like oh, your kids need
to go to college.
>> Good point. Okay, were you ever in charge of taking care of children, parents, siblings, grandparents, or
others?
>> Yeah, I was in charge of taking care of my younger siblings which they were three younger siblings and
it was hard. It was like being a mom I think but I'm just their older sister, you know, because when my mom
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and dad would have to go farming or I will have to take care of the kids, feed them, clean them, everything.
>> Wow, lot a work. Alright so this last question you know we get the success and this is where you tell me
everything you want at Fresno State. And again if you have no examples that's fine. Have you ever
experienced macroaggressions or miroaggressions? The definition of macro, this is the last questions for that
one and then we go into the success, the last part of the interview. Macroaggressions are if someone like
racially like tries to murder you or like burns a cross in like burns across like burns in front of your house like
massive racism, right, microaggresions are so do you speak English? Oh, your English is so good. So have
you ever experienced anything like white supremacy or like macroaggression which is like toward racism,
which is like extreme or like microaggressions?
>> I've experienced a microaggression of when they say "oh, you speak you know, very good English for
your kind," that's what they said but the macroaggression, I've never experienced that which I'm very
fortunate you know, because I know some people who went through that so.
>> Okay.
>> Yeah.
>> What about Asians? Do you think that here in Fresno, do you think Asians and now, all Asians, not just
Southeastern... South Asians too and East Asians. Do you think that they experience microaggression or
macroaggressions?
>> I think back then, they did, you know, experience both micro and macroaggression but now.
>> Like what examples?
>> Like as in calling them names and putting them down you know, because we are very quiet, right, and
people would think we don't know how to speak, we don't speak in English or we just you know, have no
voice but in school, they would make fun of us, but nowadays I think there are a lot of people think it's not
new anymore, I mean a lot of Asian people were, nowadays they see a lot of Asian people are smarter,
finishing school, and you know, they can just fight back.
>> Great point, okay. So this is the last part of the questions, it's 6 success questions.
[ Inaudible ]
So here with Suzie, I'm going to ask you all the things you want at Fresno State. Do take a few minutes to
think about it.
>> Okay.
>> Everything you want at Fresno State that would actually help you graduate in four years or graduate in
general, so like you could actually say this will me graduate in 4 years and this will help me graduate in
general. So down the line, anything you could think of? A lot of people said other things but anything you
can think of that you want right now that Fresno State can legally do.
>> Yeah.
>> Okay, so one, but before I ask I'm going to ask you these personal things. You are a unicorn, you are
very rare, you know and, what is it about you Miss Suzie, personally, what is it about your personality that
got you here? Where so many do not.
>> I think that from taking care of my siblings, putting in charge to take care of your siblings and all the
womanly duties when I was younger had brought me to where I'm independent and I have to think about
okay, I don't want to be in that position, you know of taking care of my siblings or just kids and doing just a
womanly, expected woman duties so I have to set a goal, what I want to do, and you know, at least make
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more money than, you know, a certain amount of money to take care of myself and live comfortably when I
have a family. I think it's just the independency and the ambitions that I have.
>> What about your family? Did your family do anything special to push you in or they didn't do anything?
>> Just recently, my dad, because I do have my AS degree in Life Science, my dad finally saw that I can
finish school or I can go higher because of what, you know, I try to educate him because you know, he
didn't go any further than that, you know, his associate degree, so he's now seeing that a lot of people are,
a lot of Asian people because he has associations that have finished you know college so that's why he's like
okay since I didn't go, I want my daughter to finish.
>> Nice.
>> So that's why he's now recently pushing me but I mean it took a long time and the whole association of
his friends to see that.
>> Oh, interesting.
>> Yeah.
>> Very important.
>> Yeah.
>> So before let me ask you like what were there the barriers like financial, blah, blah, what were the
bridges, so like what helped you culturally, educationally, financially, structurally, health, gender, like what
helped you mentioned gender like your dad now pushes you, health I guess, you looked pretty healthy,
structural, the same but were there anything that helped you like finish?
>> Just, well, now I want to finish even more because of my parents' support, right now they're saying oh
you know, my daughter can finish it, you know so I want to actually prove it to them.
>> Excellent, okay. So I asked you those questions, do you think in your community, is there anything like
pusher in your community? Talk about Trevor [assumed spelling] said that there are some high school, I can
mention if you had high school, anything in the Mien community that has pushed you to get your
achievement?
>> In Fresno, the Mien community, they're not, they're not that motivated in education, just Fresno though,
I don't know about other city because where Mien people are because I've never heard they do anything. I
think the reason being is because of the president and the vice president, you know, all the Mien community
leaders, they're not educated.
>> But one day, you'll be president.
>> I hope so.
>>... Of the Mien community, and you'll also be president so that's...
>>... That'll be nice.
>>... So that's going to be your...
>> At least now then we can actually push the younger generation to finish school.
>> Okay, great, okay. All right, so talk about that, we're at the end now and then I'm going to ask you these
last questions and then you know, just like tell me I want this, this, this okay, okay. Do you want smaller
classes? Would that help you graduate or graduate in four years?
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>> Oh yeah, smaller classes, smaller classes because you actually sit, you know, like meet and get to know
all the students you know or because sometimes no matter what race they are, they are in the same boat as
you, you know.
>> That's true.
>> You know, so I think like how your class was, it was wonderful, we all seem to, you know, know each
other you know.
>> You mean it went pretty well.
>> Yeah, it was awesome.
>> Co-ethnic professors, does that make a difference to you or not?
>> It does because if you go to college and there's all white professors, like you kind of think, you know, so
it does help.
>> Okay, co-ethnic classmates?
>> Oh yeah that's a big thing because you look around and if you don't see Asian people, I don't know, it's
just going to be kind of awkward, but that helps.
>> All right, ethnic clubs?
>> Yeah I wish I was how do you say it, qualified to do a Mien club but I'm not because you have to be fulltime.
>> I think Trevor's is full-time.
>> Is he full-time? Because you remember he was saying he's got a work or something so I don't know...
>>...Ask him, okay.
>> I don't know, I mean why is that going to be full-time like at least half the time or something, you know.
>> Alright, that's a want, you should be able to start a club even though you're part-time. So you want to
start a club even if part-time?
>> Yeah, at least you're there, you know.
>> That can be done, that can be done like that.
>> Hopefully...because if it can be done, I would do it.
>> It can be done, okay.
>> Because I did try and they said no, it's got to be full-time.
>> Okay, good to know, I will track Trevor down to see if he's full-time.
>> Okay.
>> It also can be unofficial, you can still have the club unofficially but like still meet and do lots of activities.
>> Yeah.
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>> Okay so this is the last part, okay. In a perfect world, what workshops do you want? What do you want,
and what do you need? And that's the last set of...
>> The more, what I want is like a... Because I think Mien people are not very good with English because
our parents didn't speak English.
>> So you want ESL classes, because you're fluent in English but you just want more English classes?
>> It's like Grammar and English class.
>> So you want more grammar classes that are geared towards Southeast Asians?
>> Yeah.
>> Okay, because we do have ESL classes.
>> But are they...I mean you just have ESL classes? Okay.
>> But they're for people who don't speak any English. So you would want a class that separate people who
are fluent English speakers but who want to focus more on grammar.
>> Yeah.
>> Okay, that could be done.
>> But it also would help if...I don't want to eliminate the professors but like a Asian professor teaching like
the Asians for the ESL, I don't know...
>> Okay, ESL, that can be done, that can be done. Okay, so you would want an Asian professor to teach
grammar to Asians.
>> Because a lot of Asians don't go to these ESLs because, you know, they know it's not an Asian person
teaching and they're thinking like, you know, they're not comfortable with it or you know... Just I don't know
why but do you understand what it's like?
>> I know exactly what you're saying and it can be requested but everything you want, tell me now.
Because if you say it, I will request it so I don't know, it's like throwing in a long level stick so do you need
any [inaudible] sex workshops? Okay so how did you even get through like financial aid, or all that stuff. You
just did it by yourself?
>> Yeah I did it by myself.
>> Do we need a workshop for Asians on how to get into college? Do we need to go to your high school,
because we can do that? Do we need to, what's your high school again?
>> It was Sunnyside.
>> Do we need to go to Sunnyside and have just the Asians together and tell them this, this, and this? What
do you need?
>> I think the financial aid, when we, they did in class, I think it was in our Economics class because
everybody before they graduate, have to take you know, Economics in high school.
>> Really, great.
>> Yeah so that class, the colleges come, like Fresno City came and they said you know, you do the
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financial...So they did that as a class, so that was fine.
>> Okay, so you don't need that?
>> No.
>> Okay.
>> But the financial aid, it was, they have workshops at, you know, I mean...
>> City?
>> Yeah, city so...
>> Okay so you don't need that then
>> No but I didn't attend, I just followed the questions you know, because it's kind of simple.
>> It's simple? Okay because I was saying like if you need it, we could do that.
>> No.
>> No, so okay, so now, what do you need? What course access workshop that you didn't see but you
need?
>> Um...
>> What do you need more of, in needs?
>> I'm not sure, do they have like grants for you know, the...
>> The Mien?
>> Or like not just Mien but...
>> South Asians?
>> Do they?
>> You can request it. You can request it, not that I know of but you can...So you want more financial aid,
for your college and grants for particularly Southeast Asians.
>> Yeah because I know they have for like Latinos, and like the [not clear].
>> I do know of one grant for Southeast Asian women. For women, only Southeast Asian women.
>> Oh, really?
>> Yeah, I'll forward it to you.
>> Okay, okay.
>> It's for only Southeast Asian women so...
>> Oh wow.
>> Like yourself, very successful Southeast Asian women. Okay, I'll forward that to you and that's it. Is
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there anything else that you think that you want to add that you think that would really help you graduate?
>> See, my major is biology, right, because that would help me in terms of preparing for pharmacy school,
but I think if I had a different major, I would have finished my bachelor already. > Okay,
>> But I'm not, see I'm trying to think of, I don't want to do the easy route and just get my bachelors, so I
do want to just stay with my... I mean, it's hard, like I just want to finish, do my bachelor but then I need to
stick to my goals.
>> Is there a pharmacy school club on campus?
>> I don't know because even if there is, I don't have the time to go because of my work schedule.
>> Okay.
>> I mean, unless it's weekends that they meet up or you know, but I don't know.
>> True, okay, that's good to know, that's good.
>> But I'm not in the pharmacy program so I don't know if I can even join that, right.
>> Yeah, it could be anything.
>> Okay.
>> Yeah.
>> Most people in Filipino clubs are not Filipino.
>> I know, like the Koreans, I think they were talking about [inaudible].
>> Yeah, African Americans, they're not Filipino.
>> Okay.
>> So okay, I guess that's it.
>> Okay.
>> Is there anything you'd like to add?
>> Not that I can think of right now.
>> Okay, thank you Miss Suzie for this interview, it's very helpful, and I think that honestly, it can have a
really positive impact for not just Mien but all Southeast Asians.
>> Yeah.
>> So thank you.
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your name and please verbally say that you consent for letting me interview you about graduation rates and
if you can start in 5, in 3 minutes.
>> The graduation rate is 12...
>> So thank you Miss Suzie. If you could actually just tell me your name, the dates, and spell out your name
and please verbally say that you consent for letting me record you to be put into the Fresno State archive.
>> Okay my name is Suzie Saechao, it's S U Z I E, the last name is S A E C H A O and I do consent for this
recording.
>> Great, okay so we talked about earlier that this is... and you can see the questions in front of you, this is
to actually to go over this oral history is a life history to improve graduation rates so at the end of this
questioning, feel free to add anything that you want to see Fresno State to have so we can improve the
graduation rates? Okay... Alright, what is your gender?
>> Female.
>> Okay, what is the, just the birth year?
>> 1988.
>> What is your undergraduate major?
>> Biology.
>> What is your generation in United States?
>> I am second-generation.
>> Okay. What is your mother and father's highest education?
>> Father has AS degree and mother has no education.
>> Okay, what was your family like growing up in terms of composition and what is it like now? Like what is
the makeup of...
>> So my parents came to United States after the Vietnam War without any education, any English, and
growing up, we all staying in a very small apartment because they had to receive welfare, you know,
government assistance so but they do make sure that we do go to a grade school, you know elementary
school, they take us to school every day...
>> Okay.
>> But from then, where they had no education, no English to now where they do speak fluent in English
and with my dad having a little bit more education, he made a little more money.
>> And I should interrupt you, what is your ethnic group?
>> Mien.
>> Okay and tell us, what are Mien people?
>> Mien people are originally from China and we lived in the mountains of China. They are known, a lot
people don't know about Mien people so that's where we tell them we're Chinese because we don't want to
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explain it or you know, we don't have, I don't really have much background until I asked my grandpa what
really Mien is and he just said we were from China, you know, just different culture, different language.
>> Great, what is your GPA?
>> Last semester I held a 3.3 GPA.
>> Okay, what is your ultimate degree aspiration?
>> Okay, so I want to get a bachelor in biology and study for the pharmacy, the PCAT and try to get into
pharmacy school. I want do research in medicine.
>> [inaudible] yeah, I do [inaudible].
>> Okay, was your high school public or private?
>> It was public.
>> Okay, what was the racial demographics of your school? Like what elementary or high school was it,
what's it called I guess?
>> Oh my high school was Sunnyside High School.
>> In?
>> In Fresno, California.
>> Oh okay.
>> It was mostly Hispanics and Hmong.
>> Any Mien?
>> There was probably about 6 Mien people, yeah not very many.
>> What is your favorite subject and least favorite subject?
>> Least favorite subject is English because I think it's very hard for me and my favorite is math. I thought
that math was, it came easy to me.
>> Okay, who's your favorite teacher? What makes like a good teacher and what makes a bad teacher? Like
what makes good professor? What makes a bad professor and why?
>> A good professor will answer questions and just have time outside of classroom because sometimes kids
don't want to ask questions during class because of how shy they are or if they're going to get you know,
judged and then for bad teachers, when they just keep lecturing and have no interactions with students, just
lecture even if there are questions, some student will ask a question and the teacher just doesn't really
answer the question, just keep going with the lecture.
>> Good to know. And again, this part here, usually people don't answer the questions because they don't
know the answer, so I don't know why I put these questions but why do Mien people go to college? Why or
not?
>> Okay...
>> Like you are very successful [not clear], one of the 12 percent...
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>> Yeah.
>> Why do Mien go to college and why do they not go to college?
>> So why they don't go to college... Okay so why do Mien people go to college? I go to college because I
have a good support system who encouraged me to go to college and be a better me, you know, be a better
person, help out the rest of the people in the world. Mien people don't go to college because they're afraid of
challenges, afraid of new opportunities, they're afraid.
>> What's the alternative to college? If you don't go to college, how do you make money if you're Mien?
>> The Mien people, they either do farming or just have multiple jobs that are, you know, under pay or
overworking you know and then government assistance they have too so.
>> True, does it seem like it's a better alternative to many people?
>> I think it's not a better alternative, it's just that's what they're comfortable with. They don't like to meet
challenge.
>> So I know you're speaking probably of the older generation but are you also speaking at your
generation?
>> For my generation, I am speaking of that too because my sister is not too far along from me and I ask
her why don't you go to college and she said well because you have a job that pays decent and that she can
live off of and she can ladder up so...
>> Good point, okay so we talked about this in class, actually why do Mien people go to... why is there a
difference [not clear], talked about South Asians, Mr. Harry talked about how 70 percent go to college versus
you know, Southeast Asian in aggregate around 12. Why do you say there's, [not clear] what 's the reason
for that?
>> The reason for why some of the Asians go to higher education or...
>> Why is there a difference between South Asians, 70 percent and Southeast Asians, 12 percent.
>> Southeast Asians, I think the reason they don't go to higher education is like money, you know, or they
have kids and they're thinking of supporting the family so they have to go make the money, you know,
farming and you know, the little jobs that they have and I think their parents, they didn't go to school so of
course you know, most likely if your parents don't go to school, it seems like the kids won't go to school
because they'll have to take over the farm or something like that.
>> Good point. Okay, do Mien students have good relationships with faculty or an administrator? Why and
why not?
>> Mien students do not have good relationships or strong relationships with the faculties because it seems
like they don't reach out to the faculties or they, I think a lot of them are shy, you know, they don't like to
bother other people. I mean that's my reason and then I work full time because that's how I would pay for
my education and materials so then I think, oh I don't want to bother you know, staff but I do need the
connection, I do need to reach out but then I just go to work like I don't even want to bother.
>> Good point. Have you ever been mentored and what were the teacher expectations for you? For you
were they neutral, low, or high?
>> I've never been mentored. I don't know what that is, I don't know how that experience is.
>> Wow, it just means that like someone is willing to [inaudible]... help you like that. Is it uncommon thing
in Asia?
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>> Yeah, for some reason, we don't ask for help, I mean even though we know we need it...
>> Yeah.
>> I don't know why.
>> Something to think about later. Okay, so thank you so much, that's one third of the thing is done, okay.
So now we're going to talk about... What about teachers... You said you were like 6 Mien but what were the
teacher-expectations of your ethnic peers, of the Mien?
>> I think they kind of blend us in with the Hmongs.
>> Okay so was it low, high, neutral?
>> It was low expectations, it wasn't high, I mean they didn't really interact with us or...
>> Your teachers?
>> Yeah, but I think it's because we were very shy too you know.
>> Okay, good to know. Okay, so we saw Tony Lescaly [assumed spelling] in class...
>> Oh yeah....
>> [inaudible] laughing the whole time. What were the notable meaning of that documentary, the Mien
documentary, do you remember any media depictions of the Mien at all, media?
>> No, I mean, but now when you find Google or YouTube, there is some Mien media so...
>> Oh, okay.
>> Yeah but now what's new is there is a... He's pretty famous for a Mien because he used to be a senior...
>> Oh okay.
>> In Sacramento, he does this I think once a month or once a week, he has a radio station, he speaks in
Mien...
>> Oh really!
>> So...
>> What's, I mean, what's his name?
>> Yao, Yao, Y A O, and the Zong is like Z O N G.
>> Z O N G, okay.
>> Yeah, if you Google it, I think that's how you spell it. You will see his radio station, he's live, I mean,
camera's on him and he's just speaking Mien, he was trying to educate the Mien people that's what...
>> Interesting.
>> Yeah, I wish you would understand that because it's kind of hard for me to understand because he
speaks kind of fast and it's like his words are the big words in English, you know, like he's speaking big
words in Mien.
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>> What's his generation?
>> He's first-generation here.
>> So 50s. He's like fifty something?
>> Yeah, I think he's older than that.
>> Okay, oh really.
>> I mean, he still looks very young you know but maybe because he married a young wife [laughter].
>> As is the case of many...
>> Yeah, I know, that is true.
>> Alright, do you think that you have significant academic preparation for college?
>> No, I mean because my parents didn't go to high school besides I mean college besides my dad finishing
his AS which you know, he said that was hard to do because of kids, but for preparation for college, now
there are so many things that I can read on the Internet to prepare myself and having the support of my
you know, boyfriend who's educated, he's pushing me, telling me his experience, so that's helpful.
>> Excellent, okay so [inaudible] probably 30 minutes.
>> Take your time, I just want to make sure you guys need anything.
>> Yeah, we're fine.
>> Thank you.
>> You're welcome.
>> Okay, so one third is done now so second third and the last third.
>> Yeah, okay.
>> So now you talk about barriers, and you could talk about yourself or actually just Mien people in general
so you can talk about the aggregate.
>> Okay, right.
>> Do you think that Mien people have any barriers to higher education success, the group? What is the
barrier?
>> It's just...
>> To get into that BA, graduating...
>> To even get into college, they'll think it's not for them because like I said earlier, their parents didn't go
to school you know, so it was hard for the first-generation to even push themself into school, nor even into
grade school so...
>> So you're speaking for the second-generation now?
>> Yeah.
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>> Because you said the first generation...
>> And for the second generation, luckily, you know now we have access like to internet to read things and
why we need to go to college and if we don't go to college, you're not going to make enough money
somehow to provide for your future family you know, so I think for the barriers, I think it's finance...
>> Financial, cultural, financial and generational.
>> Okay... Is there any effect of the secret war at all?
>> Oh yeah, definitely because first of all, they didn't even get credit for it. I mean, all they got was a piece
of certificate, that says, oh you know, you're in the Lao American... what it says on the certificate but a lot of
them lost their certificate from moving, you know so they don't have anything to show but all they have is
stories and flashbacks, you know.
>> Do they, we talked about in class, there's something called Sudden Hmong Nocturnal Death Syndrome
where they wake up, I think that was missing, they wake up and they're not alive.
>> Yeah.
>> Do they have it and that's mostly Hmong...
>> I know, it's mostly Hmongs, for Mien, I'm not sure, I can't really say that.
>> Just wondering, okay. Alright, do you work outside of school? How many hours? And does that impede
your graduation, particularly your 4-year graduation?
>> Yeah, it does. I do work outside of school, I have a full-time job, working 40 hours a week, sometimes
more and it does hold me back from taking more classes because of the hours I work and I wish I didn't
have to work so much, I mean at least I want to work because you know, I need the money, but I want to
take more classes but if I don't work and just take classes, how am I going to you know, it's hard.
>> That's a good point. If you are given a fellowship, financial aid, full financial aid on campus, do you think
that would help you graduate?
>> Oh yeah, definitely. I would focus on school, take as many classes as I can handle you know, and focus
on that and finish school faster than what I am doing now.
>> Do you think that, we talked about all barriers, you talked about educational barriers, cultural barriers,
and financial barriers, do you think you've already answered those questions. Do you think that there's any
gender barrier or health barrier that like for the Mien or are there any barriers like gender, do you think that
being a woman has affected your graduation?
>> Oh yeah, because growing up as a you know, woman, a Mien female, they say that we're supposed to
just cook and clean you know, take care of the children, that's what we're brought up to learn, is that, we
have to learn how to cook, we have to learn how to take care of the kids. Even like kids as in brothers and
sisters younger than us and clean the house. You know, they didn't tell us, "okay make sure you go to
college and finish college" you know, but recently you know, that's when I told you that my parents are
more Americanized now. Now they know but it took them how many years to know like oh, your kids need
to go to college.
>> Good point. Okay, were you ever in charge of taking care of children, parents, siblings, grandparents, or
others?
>> Yeah, I was in charge of taking care of my younger siblings which they were three younger siblings and
it was hard. It was like being a mom I think but I'm just their older sister, you know, because when my mom
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and dad would have to go farming or I will have to take care of the kids, feed them, clean them, everything.
>> Wow, lot a work. Alright so this last question you know we get the success and this is where you tell me
everything you want at Fresno State. And again if you have no examples that's fine. Have you ever
experienced macroaggressions or miroaggressions? The definition of macro, this is the last questions for that
one and then we go into the success, the last part of the interview. Macroaggressions are if someone like
racially like tries to murder you or like burns a cross in like burns across like burns in front of your house like
massive racism, right, microaggresions are so do you speak English? Oh, your English is so good. So have
you ever experienced anything like white supremacy or like macroaggression which is like toward racism,
which is like extreme or like microaggressions?
>> I've experienced a microaggression of when they say "oh, you speak you know, very good English for
your kind," that's what they said but the macroaggression, I've never experienced that which I'm very
fortunate you know, because I know some people who went through that so.
>> Okay.
>> Yeah.
>> What about Asians? Do you think that here in Fresno, do you think Asians and now, all Asians, not just
Southeastern... South Asians too and East Asians. Do you think that they experience microaggression or
macroaggressions?
>> I think back then, they did, you know, experience both micro and macroaggression but now.
>> Like what examples?
>> Like as in calling them names and putting them down you know, because we are very quiet, right, and
people would think we don't know how to speak, we don't speak in English or we just you know, have no
voice but in school, they would make fun of us, but nowadays I think there are a lot of people think it's not
new anymore, I mean a lot of Asian people were, nowadays they see a lot of Asian people are smarter,
finishing school, and you know, they can just fight back.
>> Great point, okay. So this is the last part of the questions, it's 6 success questions.
[ Inaudible ]
So here with Suzie, I'm going to ask you all the things you want at Fresno State. Do take a few minutes to
think about it.
>> Okay.
>> Everything you want at Fresno State that would actually help you graduate in four years or graduate in
general, so like you could actually say this will me graduate in 4 years and this will help me graduate in
general. So down the line, anything you could think of? A lot of people said other things but anything you
can think of that you want right now that Fresno State can legally do.
>> Yeah.
>> Okay, so one, but before I ask I'm going to ask you these personal things. You are a unicorn, you are
very rare, you know and, what is it about you Miss Suzie, personally, what is it about your personality that
got you here? Where so many do not.
>> I think that from taking care of my siblings, putting in charge to take care of your siblings and all the
womanly duties when I was younger had brought me to where I'm independent and I have to think about
okay, I don't want to be in that position, you know of taking care of my siblings or just kids and doing just a
womanly, expected woman duties so I have to set a goal, what I want to do, and you know, at least make
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more money than, you know, a certain amount of money to take care of myself and live comfortably when I
have a family. I think it's just the independency and the ambitions that I have.
>> What about your family? Did your family do anything special to push you in or they didn't do anything?
>> Just recently, my dad, because I do have my AS degree in Life Science, my dad finally saw that I can
finish school or I can go higher because of what, you know, I try to educate him because you know, he
didn't go any further than that, you know, his associate degree, so he's now seeing that a lot of people are,
a lot of Asian people because he has associations that have finished you know college so that's why he's like
okay since I didn't go, I want my daughter to finish.
>> Nice.
>> So that's why he's now recently pushing me but I mean it took a long time and the whole association of
his friends to see that.
>> Oh, interesting.
>> Yeah.
>> Very important.
>> Yeah.
>> So before let me ask you like what were there the barriers like financial, blah, blah, what were the
bridges, so like what helped you culturally, educationally, financially, structurally, health, gender, like what
helped you mentioned gender like your dad now pushes you, health I guess, you looked pretty healthy,
structural, the same but were there anything that helped you like finish?
>> Just, well, now I want to finish even more because of my parents' support, right now they're saying oh
you know, my daughter can finish it, you know so I want to actually prove it to them.
>> Excellent, okay. So I asked you those questions, do you think in your community, is there anything like
pusher in your community? Talk about Trevor [assumed spelling] said that there are some high school, I can
mention if you had high school, anything in the Mien community that has pushed you to get your
achievement?
>> In Fresno, the Mien community, they're not, they're not that motivated in education, just Fresno though,
I don't know about other city because where Mien people are because I've never heard they do anything. I
think the reason being is because of the president and the vice president, you know, all the Mien community
leaders, they're not educated.
>> But one day, you'll be president.
>> I hope so.
>>... Of the Mien community, and you'll also be president so that's...
>>... That'll be nice.
>>... So that's going to be your...
>> At least now then we can actually push the younger generation to finish school.
>> Okay, great, okay. All right, so talk about that, we're at the end now and then I'm going to ask you these
last questions and then you know, just like tell me I want this, this, this okay, okay. Do you want smaller
classes? Would that help you graduate or graduate in four years?
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>> Oh yeah, smaller classes, smaller classes because you actually sit, you know, like meet and get to know
all the students you know or because sometimes no matter what race they are, they are in the same boat as
you, you know.
>> That's true.
>> You know, so I think like how your class was, it was wonderful, we all seem to, you know, know each
other you know.
>> You mean it went pretty well.
>> Yeah, it was awesome.
>> Co-ethnic professors, does that make a difference to you or not?
>> It does because if you go to college and there's all white professors, like you kind of think, you know, so
it does help.
>> Okay, co-ethnic classmates?
>> Oh yeah that's a big thing because you look around and if you don't see Asian people, I don't know, it's
just going to be kind of awkward, but that helps.
>> All right, ethnic clubs?
>> Yeah I wish I was how do you say it, qualified to do a Mien club but I'm not because you have to be fulltime.
>> I think Trevor's is full-time.
>> Is he full-time? Because you remember he was saying he's got a work or something so I don't know...
>>...Ask him, okay.
>> I don't know, I mean why is that going to be full-time like at least half the time or something, you know.
>> Alright, that's a want, you should be able to start a club even though you're part-time. So you want to
start a club even if part-time?
>> Yeah, at least you're there, you know.
>> That can be done, that can be done like that.
>> Hopefully...because if it can be done, I would do it.
>> It can be done, okay.
>> Because I did try and they said no, it's got to be full-time.
>> Okay, good to know, I will track Trevor down to see if he's full-time.
>> Okay.
>> It also can be unofficial, you can still have the club unofficially but like still meet and do lots of activities.
>> Yeah.
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>> Okay so this is the last part, okay. In a perfect world, what workshops do you want? What do you want,
and what do you need? And that's the last set of...
>> The more, what I want is like a... Because I think Mien people are not very good with English because
our parents didn't speak English.
>> So you want ESL classes, because you're fluent in English but you just want more English classes?
>> It's like Grammar and English class.
>> So you want more grammar classes that are geared towards Southeast Asians?
>> Yeah.
>> Okay, because we do have ESL classes.
>> But are they...I mean you just have ESL classes? Okay.
>> But they're for people who don't speak any English. So you would want a class that separate people who
are fluent English speakers but who want to focus more on grammar.
>> Yeah.
>> Okay, that could be done.
>> But it also would help if...I don't want to eliminate the professors but like a Asian professor teaching like
the Asians for the ESL, I don't know...
>> Okay, ESL, that can be done, that can be done. Okay, so you would want an Asian professor to teach
grammar to Asians.
>> Because a lot of Asians don't go to these ESLs because, you know, they know it's not an Asian person
teaching and they're thinking like, you know, they're not comfortable with it or you know... Just I don't know
why but do you understand what it's like?
>> I know exactly what you're saying and it can be requested but everything you want, tell me now.
Because if you say it, I will request it so I don't know, it's like throwing in a long level stick so do you need
any [inaudible] sex workshops? Okay so how did you even get through like financial aid, or all that stuff. You
just did it by yourself?
>> Yeah I did it by myself.
>> Do we need a workshop for Asians on how to get into college? Do we need to go to your high school,
because we can do that? Do we need to, what's your high school again?
>> It was Sunnyside.
>> Do we need to go to Sunnyside and have just the Asians together and tell them this, this, and this? What
do you need?
>> I think the financial aid, when we, they did in class, I think it was in our Economics class because
everybody before they graduate, have to take you know, Economics in high school.
>> Really, great.
>> Yeah so that class, the colleges come, like Fresno City came and they said you know, you do the
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financial...So they did that as a class, so that was fine.
>> Okay, so you don't need that?
>> No.
>> Okay.
>> But the financial aid, it was, they have workshops at, you know, I mean...
>> City?
>> Yeah, city so...
>> Okay so you don't need that then
>> No but I didn't attend, I just followed the questions you know, because it's kind of simple.
>> It's simple? Okay because I was saying like if you need it, we could do that.
>> No.
>> No, so okay, so now, what do you need? What course access workshop that you didn't see but you
need?
>> Um...
>> What do you need more of, in needs?
>> I'm not sure, do they have like grants for you know, the...
>> The Mien?
>> Or like not just Mien but...
>> South Asians?
>> Do they?
>> You can request it. You can request it, not that I know of but you can...So you want more financial aid,
for your college and grants for particularly Southeast Asians.
>> Yeah because I know they have for like Latinos, and like the [not clear].
>> I do know of one grant for Southeast Asian women. For women, only Southeast Asian women.
>> Oh, really?
>> Yeah, I'll forward it to you.
>> Okay, okay.
>> It's for only Southeast Asian women so...
>> Oh wow.
>> Like yourself, very successful Southeast Asian women. Okay, I'll forward that to you and that's it. Is
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there anything else that you think that you want to add that you think that would really help you graduate?
>> See, my major is biology, right, because that would help me in terms of preparing for pharmacy school,
but I think if I had a different major, I would have finished my bachelor already. > Okay,
>> But I'm not, see I'm trying to think of, I don't want to do the easy route and just get my bachelors, so I
do want to just stay with my... I mean, it's hard, like I just want to finish, do my bachelor but then I need to
stick to my goals.
>> Is there a pharmacy school club on campus?
>> I don't know because even if there is, I don't have the time to go because of my work schedule.
>> Okay.
>> I mean, unless it's weekends that they meet up or you know, but I don't know.
>> True, okay, that's good to know, that's good.
>> But I'm not in the pharmacy program so I don't know if I can even join that, right.
>> Yeah, it could be anything.
>> Okay.
>> Yeah.
>> Most people in Filipino clubs are not Filipino.
>> I know, like the Koreans, I think they were talking about [inaudible].
>> Yeah, African Americans, they're not Filipino.
>> Okay.
>> So okay, I guess that's it.
>> Okay.
>> Is there anything you'd like to add?
>> Not that I can think of right now.
>> Okay, thank you Miss Suzie for this interview, it's very helpful, and I think that honestly, it can have a
really positive impact for not just Mien but all Southeast Asians.
>> Yeah.
>> So thank you.
file:///C/...l%20Valley%20Southeast%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/6_Suzie_Saechao_Miem_Female.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:01:23 AM]