Manyvone Sithavong interview
Item
Title
Manyvone Sithavong interview
Creator
Sithavong, Manyvone
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_00024
extracted text
>> Okay. Hello. Welcome. Thank you so much for consenting to be interviewed for the new Southeast Asian Successful
Voices Archive in Fresno State. Can you please state your name and spell it?
>> Mayvone Sithavong. "M" as in Mary, "a," "n" as in Nancy, "y," "v" as in Victor, "o," "n" as in Nancy, "e" as in
Edward. Last name, Sithavong -- "S" as in Sam, "i," "t" as in Tom, "h" as in Henry, "a," "v" as in Victor, "o," "n" as in
Nancy, "g" as in George.
>> Excellent. Can you give me verbal permission to record you for our archive of successful Southeast Asians?
>> Yes.
>> Great. Great, I guess we'll start. And, again, thank you so much. May I have your gender?
>> Female.
>> Great. What is your ethnic group and the place you were born?
>> Lao. And, I was born in Thailand.
>> Okay. Great. What was your undergraduate major?
>> Criminology.
>> Excellent. Okay. What's your generation in United States? Are you first generation? A second generation? I think
you spoke earlier, a 1.5 generation.
>> Oh, 1.5, yes.
>> Okay, great. Do you -- what was your -- what's your ultimate degree aspiration?
>> You know what? I don't know. I'm still looking at it, myself. I just wanted to graduate. I mean, I love criminology. I
wanted to -- initially, I watned to go into nursing. That was my father's dream, to have all of his children go into nursing.
But, I got in some trouble with the law, and I thought that was not the way to go. And so, I decided to go with
criminology [chuckle].
>> Oh, okay. Okay. Interesting. So, but you did -- you got -- you have a BA in criminology?
>> Yes, a BS in criminology, and an MS in criminology.
>> Oh, my goodness! That's very accomplished! You have a BA and an MS -- a BS and MS?
>> Yes.
>> Was that both at Fresno State?
>> Yes. Oh, my gosh! That's very rare! You're very rare! That's awesome! Okay. Excellent. What is the socioeconomic
background that you grew up in? Was it low, working class, middle, affluent -- which is rich?
>> Very low.
>> Okay. The high school. Was it public or private?
>> It was public.
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> What high school did you go to?
>> McLane High School.
>> Okay. Where is that?
>> That's here, in Fresno, California. It's on Cedar and Clinton.
>> Oh, okay. What is the -- what was the ratio in ethnic demographics of your high school?
>> Oh, gosh. I would say it was a variety of Caucasian, Hispanic, Asians, Lao Hmong, and Cambodians.
>> Interesting.
>> And -- yeah. And, Blacks, yeah. There was a good number of each.
>> Great. How -- why do -- do many Laos go to college?
>> When I went, there was -- I would say there was a good number of us that went to McLane that went on to college.
>> Okay.
>> There was -- gosh, I mean, if I had to go back and count, I don't know how many. But, I know that, you know, the
group that I hung out with did go onto Fresno State, and then others went elsewhere.
>> And then, the ones who didn't go to college, why didn't they go to college?
>> I don't know. I don't know if they had any desire to go beyond high school or not. I don't know if anybody pushed
them.
>> Mhm. Think about yourself. Why did you go to college?
>> Well, I was -- well, first, my father, he, you know, he's all about education. And, he is set in his -- we're his
[inaudible] product of what, you know, second Laos. And so, his -- he has children back in Laos. And, his daughter's a
nurse. And, he's like, you guys, you know, go into nursing. Job is stable. It will always be in demand. And, that's why he
pushed us all the way.
>> Did you siblings go to college too?
>> I have an older brother who did not. Well, he actually went to Fresno City and went into vocational classes there.
And, then it was me. Which, I did. And, then I have my younger sister who did go into nursing. And, then I have a baby
sister who did not.
>> Interesting. Okay. Do, Laos students -- do they have strong relationship with administrators and faculty?
>> From my experience, I would say no.
>> Why not?
>> I just think that there was -- I don't know. I just -- when I was going to school, I was a teenage parent in high school.
>> Uh-huh.
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> And, that was my second motivation, was to defy all the stigma against teenage parents. But, it was one of my other
motivations was to go through it. And finish it, and not be labeled as a teenage mom who did not, you know, go beyond
high school.
>> How many years did it take you to graduate?
>> It took me, well, because I took summer school. Right after high school, I took summer school every year. And so,
each year, I took a class to knock that out. But, it took me four years to get my bachelor's and two years to get my
master's.
>> That is amazing! How did you do -- [chuckle] that's amazing. How did you do four years with a child?
>> Yeah. I had the support of my mom, and my parents. And then, you know, my daughter's father. And so, we've been
together ever since. And, you know, the support of both of them -- I mean, all of them.
>> Can you give any advice to the moms who might be listening, on how to organize or juggle classes with children?
>> You know what? I didn't have -- I mean, I had childcare. So, that was the ease of it. I lived at home.
>> Uh-huh.
>> And, my parents dropped everything to watch my daughter. I mean, they gave me their car, so I could go to school.
That was the support I had. I mean, as far as for them, I mean, I don't know what else is out there, as far as resources for
childcare. But, I say, just do it. Just go for it. And, if you really want it, you'll find a way.
>> Great. Switching gears, what is your favorite subject? And, what's your least favorite subject?
>> In school, my favorite subject -- gosh. I have a thing with criminology. I love investigations.
>> Interesting.
>> I love digging.
>> What's your least favorite subject?
>> My least favorite, oh gosh. I would say math.
>> Math? Okay. What makes a good professor to you, to graduate college, and what makes a bad professor to you?
>> Say a good professor was one who really supported you in every way. I mean, one that would just -- words of
support. Just, when they speak, it's words of support. I would say a not-so-good professor is one that puts you down, and
kind of groups you as one of those that they don't want to associate with.
>> Interesting.
>> Have you ever been mentored?
>> You know, I had a mentor. I had a mentor. They -- I was in a -- I don't remember -- I was in a program, and they
paired me up with a mentor. But, for some reason, I really did not connect.
>> Was it Avid? Or, was it Summer Bridge? Or, was it EOP?
>> I think it was EOP.
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> Okay.
>> EOP. And, they sent me to pair up with a mentor. It was somewhere -- because I was changing my major a lot. And,
they paired me up with this man. And ->> Mhm.
>> I don't know. I just -- I was, you know. My attitude was really defiant at that time. I didn't feel like I needed help
from anybody else. I didn't see where he was helping me.
>> Mhm.
>> Thinking back from high school, what were the teacher expectations of you? Did they have a medium, high, low,
neutral expectations of you?
>> They had a high expectation. High expectation. Because, my grades were pretty good. And so, there were teachers
that approached me and wanted me to go into [inaudible], and stuff like that, and go into groups. And, I forgot what it
was called, where you go on to debate. The debate team. And, I'm like, no, not interested. I just didn't want to do stuff
like that. And, now, I'm looking back, and it's like such a missed opportunity.
>> Mhm. What were your teachers' expectations of your co-ethnics, such as the Southeast Asians that went to your
school? Did they have high, medium, low expectations of the Southeast Asians at your school?
>> Oh, gosh. I don't know. I don't know what their expectations were. I mean, as far as them coming out and saying it, I
think they were all just expecting everyone to do well.
>> Mhm.
>> I mean, they didn't say, for Southeast Asians, that you should do this and that. But, I mean, nobody, you know,
nobody grouped us and say that, you know, Asians should do better than Hispanics, or anything like that. I mean, I
thought it was all even across the board, from what I experienced.
>> Interesting. Did you have any -- growing up, did you have any notable media depictions of your ethnic group? Did
you see on TV, at all, or movies?
>> No, no. Vary rare.
>> Okay. Do you think that you were academically prepared for college by your high school?
>> I don't think so. I don't think I was. And, maybe that was -- I think maybe that was my own doing. Because, I know
there was a lot of classes that were held, and a lot of other, like, groups that I could have joined, you know, that -- like a
-- what do you call that? Extracurricular activity groups that they join, and they put their [inaudible] up. I opted not to
sign up for. And, that was my own doing.
>> Interesting. So, is it your suggestion for people to sign up for activities?
>> I don't know. I don't know what they have nowadays. I really don't know. I mean, I'm thinking, if I remember -gosh, it was so back -- so long ago when I graduated. But, I was thinking that I did everything on my own. I mean, I
didn't have -- my older brother didn't go onto college. So, I pretty much had to do everything on my own.
>> Wow. Okay.
>> I had to, you know, register for classes on my own. All that was just pretty much on my own. And, you know,
because my parents didn't speak the language.
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> Right.
>> So, they didn't know anything about that. And so ->> How did you do it?
>> I just, you know, with friends. We, you know, my friends were going to the same college. And so, we just read the
directions and said you do this, you do this. And, then we, you know, signed up for City College. And, you do this, and,
you know, we just bounced ideas off of each other. So, the support of good friends [inaudible].
>> That's great! Was that part of like an ethnic group? Or, was it a part of like an ethnic club? Who were these friends?
>> No, no. They were just, you know, the group that I hung out with. It was just like my group.
>> Oh, great. Okay. So, we're in the second part of the interview. And, again, these are all optional questions. Did you
have any barriers going to college, such as financial barriers or childcare barriers at all?
>> I didn't have any barriers, because I had financial aid. So, all that was good.
>> Okay.
>> I mean -- no, I didn't have any barriers. I didn't have any issues with childcare.
>> What about gender? Do you think that you'd -- it'd been easier to get through college if you were male versus a
female?
>> You know, it's hard to say, because I don't -- I didn't really -- I don't know what the perspective for a male -- I don't
know their challenges. I mean, I didn't -- I mean, I have male friends going through college, and no one ever expressed
anything of a -- you know, any barriers or any issues with signing up for classes or anything like that.
>> Uh-huh. Did you find Fresno State to be a warm environment?
>> I did. I love Fresno State! My daughter's actually going to Fresno State right now.
>> Oh, great! So, did you guide her going to college?
>> I did. I did. I pushed her. She -- we only have one child. And, so, she's our only one. And, we pushed her to go to
college. And ->> What do you -- what do you say to her [chuckle]?
>> What did I say?
>> Yes.
>> That you're going to college [chuckle].
>> Uh-huh.
>> You're going to college; there is no other option.
>> Oh, really? Interesting.
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> Yeah, well I -- yeah. I pushed her to the same way my father pushed me was, you know, you're going to get further
in life with a degree versus not having a degree.
>> So, that's what you told her?
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah, definitely. Were there any positive things that you got out of college? Not just a degree, but, you know, social,
kind of like personal growth, development, things from college that you wouldn't have got, had you not gone?
>> I feel that I set out to do, you know, graduate. And, I feel like I completed my goal. I mean, so personally, I felt that I
set out to do it. I set out to finish in four years, and I did. I took ->> It's amazing.
>> -- two years off, thinking I was going work. And, I was like, you know what? I'm going to go back and get my
master's. And, I -- once I just set it up, and I do it, and I -- once you pay that, and it's -- the master I had to pay on my
own. But, so, I mean, once you put that money down, it's like you have to do it, because money is scarce as it was.
>> Uh-huh.
>> So, that was like, you have to finish it. There was no other way to look because I couldn't drop out because that was
my own money for my master's.
>> Did you take your daughter, sometimes, to class at all?
>> No. Never had to do that.
>> Okay. Great. You are very rare, to have a BA and MA. Very prestigious. Why do you think that you succeeded,
where many people, you know, struggled for so long, and ultimately did not finish college? Why do you -- I mean, you
had, you know, you talked about how you had a child. How did you -- why did you make it? Like, why so much
success?
>> I don't know. Maybe my drive was different. Maybe the support system was different. I mean, I had a really hard
drive. Like, I really -- that's what I set out to do. And, it was, you know, the friends that we competed with, as well. I
mean, we were all there. They're asking, when are you going to graduate? And, so, we all wanted to graduate, you
know, on time and together.
>> Wow.
>> And, it, you know, kind of would had been an embarrassment if you didn't graduate. So, it's kind of like we all
pushed each other, as well.
>> Great. So, it definitely -- it seems like your friends really motivated you.
>> Yes.
>> Can you think about other things that motivated you to graduate? Were you part of the Lao Club?
>> Nope. I wasn't part of any clubs [chuckle].
>> Oh, interesting. So, was there anything, I mean -- thinking back on your life, because it is also physically rare to
graduate in four years, right? And, why do you -- I mean, what do you attribute -- I mean, you definitely have great
persistence, right? What other things do you attribute to your success? Like, why did you do it? Like, I mean, were you
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
part of dance group? Were there -- I mean, did you do things growing up? Did your parents do anything special to
motivate you to graduate? I think you might ->> Nothing. No. Just, you know -- I mean, just growing up, I mean, just being -- throughout elementary, Dad would
reward us, you know, if we got good grades. So, that was always instilled in me from, you know, a young age.
>> Mhm. Well, interesting. So, did he explicitly tell you education was important? Or, did he show you? Or, did he tell
you stories about educational support? And, like, what did he do? And, did your mom encourage you for education?
>> I don't think my mom had any education. But, she was there to support us, as well. But, it was more of Dad that was
the pusher. And, he was the one who vocalized how important education was, and how much further in life you can
actually get. I mean, he pushed us.
>> Did he have an education?
>> He mentioned that he had some sort of education. I mean, growing up. I mean, he's gone now. I don't know what
level he had back in Lao. But, he also spoke French. I mean, he was in the Army, as well. But, he also spoke French.
He'd lost all that. And so, that was, you know, pretty inspiring and admirable, to see him speak in a different language.
>> Wow. Thinking back, it seems like college was very cultivated in your household, because your dad specifically told
you college is important. Did you -- do you think that in your community, are these kind of community enablers for
other Laos? Is the church important? Is dance groups, culture groups, friend groups -- you talk about friend groups are
important. Is there any, like, other community enablers that help out Lao in college?
>> Not that any that I was associated with. I have no idea, because I have never associated with any of them. So, I don't
know if any of those, you know, the tempo or any of that of any of them push, you know, kids to go to college or not. I
mean, I have no idea. It's hard to say.
>> Okay. Great. You -- these are the last couple questions I'm asking. What do you think that you want for yourself or
your daughter? Would you want smaller classes at Fresno State?
>> I think the number of classes that I had -- I mean, the variety -- there was drama class. That was a huge class. And,
then there were some classes that were small. So, it gave a variety, which kind of prepared you for life. I mean, because
you can't always have smaller classes. You're going to have bigger classes. So, in a way, that's just how it's going to be.
And so, it kind of prepared me for life. Like, you can't always have it your way. Accept it, and then learn how to deal
with it.
>> Okay. What about Asian professors? Did you have any, and would you want more Asian professors? Would you
want Lao professors?
>> I -- yeah, I had an Asian professor. She was Japanese. And, she was pretty, you know, she was pretty bad. She was a
strong-minded [chuckle] lady. Yeah. She was -- I don't remember her name. But, I think she was the only Asian
professor that I had. I took Chinese class. But, it was taught by a Caucasian male.
>> [Chuckle] Interesting. Okay. What about co-ethnic classmates? Did that make a difference to you?
>> I guess that I hung out with in high school, we didn't take any -- we took, for undergraduate, we did take the same
classes. But, after that, after, you know, we started going into our major, we fled. But, other than that, I didn't have any
other Asians in my -- every once in a while, I'd have a Japanese student in the criminology class. But, other than that, I
mean, I pretty much just kept to myself. Did my work. Turned it in.
>> Oh, interesting. And then, in general, for your daughter, would you want more ethnic clubs? Would you want a Lao
sorority? Or, Lao for fraternity?
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> I -- you know what? I don't -- she's also not involved in any clubs, as well. And, I urged her to, you know, get
involved. But, it's kind of hard when you've got school and work.
>> Mhm. And, then, if you're thinking about for your daughter, what college success workshops would you want for
her?
>> College success workshop? Maybe resume writing.
>> Oh, resume writing. Okay.
>> Let her find a job.
>> Yes.
>> I mean ->> That's a good idea.
>> That's something that she's going to need to learn when she, you know, is ready to go on her own. And, maybe
transitioning them in how to, you know, look for homes, because ->> Okay.
>> If she moves out, she's going to need to know how to buy a home, how to budget, all that -- all that stuff that I can
teach her. But, it would be nice to see it from an educational perspective on that end.
>> And then, would you want abyss in a kind of a cultural way? Because, a lot of Asians, particularly Asians, are taught
to look down, and, you know, to not look people in the eye. And, also not have a strong handshake. Would you want
this resume, kind of like, I would assume a college mock interviews, would you want it to be addressed in a cultural
manner, to kind of offset kind of cultural norms?
>> No, because, I mean, people nowadays -- I mean, I've had lawyers who understand that we don't look directly in the
eye, because that's considered disrespectful. So, they learn that. They know that. And, so they don't push on that.
>> Mhm.
>> And so, I mean, I think that's part of our culture and our heritage, that I'd hate to lose [inaudible] that. But, I know
we're kind of, you know, become accustomed to the American ways. But, we also don't want to lose our ways as Lao.
>> Good point. So, the last question is, advice to the third generation. Advice to your daughter. Advice to her cohort,
and the next generation coming after her. What advice do you have for struggling Southeast Asian students to graduate,
and the value of education, in general?
>> That education is the key. And, the education will get you so far. It's beyond what you can imagine. I mean, you can
get -- just the connections, alone, the people that you connect with. They can even get you places. Even that networking
piece, alone, can get you further than you can expect. But, I would say just do it. Just get out there, and just do it.
>> But, what if they have failure, or they're struggling? How could they go through that? There's this -- yeah. There's
this perception that, I shouldn't be struggling. I shouldn't fail.
>> Oh, gosh. That's hard, because -- I don't know. I mean, when my sister didn't go to college, we didn't push her. It was
kind of like, okay, that's your choice. That's your choice in life. And, she's not, you know, she's probably making more
money than me [chuckle]. But, you know, I mean, that was her choice. And, so Mom and Dad were okay with it. So, I
don't -- I don't know. I'm really not -- I'm not good with words on encouragement on that piece for -- if you don't want to
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
side with someone who's not doing well, you can easily offend them by -- like saying stuff. I have no idea, and I don't
know how to answer that [chuckle].
>> Great. No worries. Thinking about your daughter, is there something that you want her to do in college that you
didn't do?
>> I want her -- I told her that I wanted her to travel aboard. You know, do ->> Yes! Yeah, definitely.
>> So, yeah. So, she can get a perspective on other cultures, and ->> That's great advice.
>> Take that opportunity, yeah, while you're in school, because I'm paying for it [chuckle].
>> Yeah. That is excellent advice, to go to a different country. That is excellent advice [chuckle].
>> Yeah.
>> Okay, great. Is there anything else that you want to suggest to the next generation?
>> I don't know what else to say.
>> So, great. You've actually given a lot of great tips. A lot of a -- lots of good advice. I'm going to thank you so much!
I'm going to turn off my recorders. So, let me --
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
Voices Archive in Fresno State. Can you please state your name and spell it?
>> Mayvone Sithavong. "M" as in Mary, "a," "n" as in Nancy, "y," "v" as in Victor, "o," "n" as in Nancy, "e" as in
Edward. Last name, Sithavong -- "S" as in Sam, "i," "t" as in Tom, "h" as in Henry, "a," "v" as in Victor, "o," "n" as in
Nancy, "g" as in George.
>> Excellent. Can you give me verbal permission to record you for our archive of successful Southeast Asians?
>> Yes.
>> Great. Great, I guess we'll start. And, again, thank you so much. May I have your gender?
>> Female.
>> Great. What is your ethnic group and the place you were born?
>> Lao. And, I was born in Thailand.
>> Okay. Great. What was your undergraduate major?
>> Criminology.
>> Excellent. Okay. What's your generation in United States? Are you first generation? A second generation? I think
you spoke earlier, a 1.5 generation.
>> Oh, 1.5, yes.
>> Okay, great. Do you -- what was your -- what's your ultimate degree aspiration?
>> You know what? I don't know. I'm still looking at it, myself. I just wanted to graduate. I mean, I love criminology. I
wanted to -- initially, I watned to go into nursing. That was my father's dream, to have all of his children go into nursing.
But, I got in some trouble with the law, and I thought that was not the way to go. And so, I decided to go with
criminology [chuckle].
>> Oh, okay. Okay. Interesting. So, but you did -- you got -- you have a BA in criminology?
>> Yes, a BS in criminology, and an MS in criminology.
>> Oh, my goodness! That's very accomplished! You have a BA and an MS -- a BS and MS?
>> Yes.
>> Was that both at Fresno State?
>> Yes. Oh, my gosh! That's very rare! You're very rare! That's awesome! Okay. Excellent. What is the socioeconomic
background that you grew up in? Was it low, working class, middle, affluent -- which is rich?
>> Very low.
>> Okay. The high school. Was it public or private?
>> It was public.
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> What high school did you go to?
>> McLane High School.
>> Okay. Where is that?
>> That's here, in Fresno, California. It's on Cedar and Clinton.
>> Oh, okay. What is the -- what was the ratio in ethnic demographics of your high school?
>> Oh, gosh. I would say it was a variety of Caucasian, Hispanic, Asians, Lao Hmong, and Cambodians.
>> Interesting.
>> And -- yeah. And, Blacks, yeah. There was a good number of each.
>> Great. How -- why do -- do many Laos go to college?
>> When I went, there was -- I would say there was a good number of us that went to McLane that went on to college.
>> Okay.
>> There was -- gosh, I mean, if I had to go back and count, I don't know how many. But, I know that, you know, the
group that I hung out with did go onto Fresno State, and then others went elsewhere.
>> And then, the ones who didn't go to college, why didn't they go to college?
>> I don't know. I don't know if they had any desire to go beyond high school or not. I don't know if anybody pushed
them.
>> Mhm. Think about yourself. Why did you go to college?
>> Well, I was -- well, first, my father, he, you know, he's all about education. And, he is set in his -- we're his
[inaudible] product of what, you know, second Laos. And so, his -- he has children back in Laos. And, his daughter's a
nurse. And, he's like, you guys, you know, go into nursing. Job is stable. It will always be in demand. And, that's why he
pushed us all the way.
>> Did you siblings go to college too?
>> I have an older brother who did not. Well, he actually went to Fresno City and went into vocational classes there.
And, then it was me. Which, I did. And, then I have my younger sister who did go into nursing. And, then I have a baby
sister who did not.
>> Interesting. Okay. Do, Laos students -- do they have strong relationship with administrators and faculty?
>> From my experience, I would say no.
>> Why not?
>> I just think that there was -- I don't know. I just -- when I was going to school, I was a teenage parent in high school.
>> Uh-huh.
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> And, that was my second motivation, was to defy all the stigma against teenage parents. But, it was one of my other
motivations was to go through it. And finish it, and not be labeled as a teenage mom who did not, you know, go beyond
high school.
>> How many years did it take you to graduate?
>> It took me, well, because I took summer school. Right after high school, I took summer school every year. And so,
each year, I took a class to knock that out. But, it took me four years to get my bachelor's and two years to get my
master's.
>> That is amazing! How did you do -- [chuckle] that's amazing. How did you do four years with a child?
>> Yeah. I had the support of my mom, and my parents. And then, you know, my daughter's father. And so, we've been
together ever since. And, you know, the support of both of them -- I mean, all of them.
>> Can you give any advice to the moms who might be listening, on how to organize or juggle classes with children?
>> You know what? I didn't have -- I mean, I had childcare. So, that was the ease of it. I lived at home.
>> Uh-huh.
>> And, my parents dropped everything to watch my daughter. I mean, they gave me their car, so I could go to school.
That was the support I had. I mean, as far as for them, I mean, I don't know what else is out there, as far as resources for
childcare. But, I say, just do it. Just go for it. And, if you really want it, you'll find a way.
>> Great. Switching gears, what is your favorite subject? And, what's your least favorite subject?
>> In school, my favorite subject -- gosh. I have a thing with criminology. I love investigations.
>> Interesting.
>> I love digging.
>> What's your least favorite subject?
>> My least favorite, oh gosh. I would say math.
>> Math? Okay. What makes a good professor to you, to graduate college, and what makes a bad professor to you?
>> Say a good professor was one who really supported you in every way. I mean, one that would just -- words of
support. Just, when they speak, it's words of support. I would say a not-so-good professor is one that puts you down, and
kind of groups you as one of those that they don't want to associate with.
>> Interesting.
>> Have you ever been mentored?
>> You know, I had a mentor. I had a mentor. They -- I was in a -- I don't remember -- I was in a program, and they
paired me up with a mentor. But, for some reason, I really did not connect.
>> Was it Avid? Or, was it Summer Bridge? Or, was it EOP?
>> I think it was EOP.
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> Okay.
>> EOP. And, they sent me to pair up with a mentor. It was somewhere -- because I was changing my major a lot. And,
they paired me up with this man. And ->> Mhm.
>> I don't know. I just -- I was, you know. My attitude was really defiant at that time. I didn't feel like I needed help
from anybody else. I didn't see where he was helping me.
>> Mhm.
>> Thinking back from high school, what were the teacher expectations of you? Did they have a medium, high, low,
neutral expectations of you?
>> They had a high expectation. High expectation. Because, my grades were pretty good. And so, there were teachers
that approached me and wanted me to go into [inaudible], and stuff like that, and go into groups. And, I forgot what it
was called, where you go on to debate. The debate team. And, I'm like, no, not interested. I just didn't want to do stuff
like that. And, now, I'm looking back, and it's like such a missed opportunity.
>> Mhm. What were your teachers' expectations of your co-ethnics, such as the Southeast Asians that went to your
school? Did they have high, medium, low expectations of the Southeast Asians at your school?
>> Oh, gosh. I don't know. I don't know what their expectations were. I mean, as far as them coming out and saying it, I
think they were all just expecting everyone to do well.
>> Mhm.
>> I mean, they didn't say, for Southeast Asians, that you should do this and that. But, I mean, nobody, you know,
nobody grouped us and say that, you know, Asians should do better than Hispanics, or anything like that. I mean, I
thought it was all even across the board, from what I experienced.
>> Interesting. Did you have any -- growing up, did you have any notable media depictions of your ethnic group? Did
you see on TV, at all, or movies?
>> No, no. Vary rare.
>> Okay. Do you think that you were academically prepared for college by your high school?
>> I don't think so. I don't think I was. And, maybe that was -- I think maybe that was my own doing. Because, I know
there was a lot of classes that were held, and a lot of other, like, groups that I could have joined, you know, that -- like a
-- what do you call that? Extracurricular activity groups that they join, and they put their [inaudible] up. I opted not to
sign up for. And, that was my own doing.
>> Interesting. So, is it your suggestion for people to sign up for activities?
>> I don't know. I don't know what they have nowadays. I really don't know. I mean, I'm thinking, if I remember -gosh, it was so back -- so long ago when I graduated. But, I was thinking that I did everything on my own. I mean, I
didn't have -- my older brother didn't go onto college. So, I pretty much had to do everything on my own.
>> Wow. Okay.
>> I had to, you know, register for classes on my own. All that was just pretty much on my own. And, you know,
because my parents didn't speak the language.
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> Right.
>> So, they didn't know anything about that. And so ->> How did you do it?
>> I just, you know, with friends. We, you know, my friends were going to the same college. And so, we just read the
directions and said you do this, you do this. And, then we, you know, signed up for City College. And, you do this, and,
you know, we just bounced ideas off of each other. So, the support of good friends [inaudible].
>> That's great! Was that part of like an ethnic group? Or, was it a part of like an ethnic club? Who were these friends?
>> No, no. They were just, you know, the group that I hung out with. It was just like my group.
>> Oh, great. Okay. So, we're in the second part of the interview. And, again, these are all optional questions. Did you
have any barriers going to college, such as financial barriers or childcare barriers at all?
>> I didn't have any barriers, because I had financial aid. So, all that was good.
>> Okay.
>> I mean -- no, I didn't have any barriers. I didn't have any issues with childcare.
>> What about gender? Do you think that you'd -- it'd been easier to get through college if you were male versus a
female?
>> You know, it's hard to say, because I don't -- I didn't really -- I don't know what the perspective for a male -- I don't
know their challenges. I mean, I didn't -- I mean, I have male friends going through college, and no one ever expressed
anything of a -- you know, any barriers or any issues with signing up for classes or anything like that.
>> Uh-huh. Did you find Fresno State to be a warm environment?
>> I did. I love Fresno State! My daughter's actually going to Fresno State right now.
>> Oh, great! So, did you guide her going to college?
>> I did. I did. I pushed her. She -- we only have one child. And, so, she's our only one. And, we pushed her to go to
college. And ->> What do you -- what do you say to her [chuckle]?
>> What did I say?
>> Yes.
>> That you're going to college [chuckle].
>> Uh-huh.
>> You're going to college; there is no other option.
>> Oh, really? Interesting.
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> Yeah, well I -- yeah. I pushed her to the same way my father pushed me was, you know, you're going to get further
in life with a degree versus not having a degree.
>> So, that's what you told her?
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah, definitely. Were there any positive things that you got out of college? Not just a degree, but, you know, social,
kind of like personal growth, development, things from college that you wouldn't have got, had you not gone?
>> I feel that I set out to do, you know, graduate. And, I feel like I completed my goal. I mean, so personally, I felt that I
set out to do it. I set out to finish in four years, and I did. I took ->> It's amazing.
>> -- two years off, thinking I was going work. And, I was like, you know what? I'm going to go back and get my
master's. And, I -- once I just set it up, and I do it, and I -- once you pay that, and it's -- the master I had to pay on my
own. But, so, I mean, once you put that money down, it's like you have to do it, because money is scarce as it was.
>> Uh-huh.
>> So, that was like, you have to finish it. There was no other way to look because I couldn't drop out because that was
my own money for my master's.
>> Did you take your daughter, sometimes, to class at all?
>> No. Never had to do that.
>> Okay. Great. You are very rare, to have a BA and MA. Very prestigious. Why do you think that you succeeded,
where many people, you know, struggled for so long, and ultimately did not finish college? Why do you -- I mean, you
had, you know, you talked about how you had a child. How did you -- why did you make it? Like, why so much
success?
>> I don't know. Maybe my drive was different. Maybe the support system was different. I mean, I had a really hard
drive. Like, I really -- that's what I set out to do. And, it was, you know, the friends that we competed with, as well. I
mean, we were all there. They're asking, when are you going to graduate? And, so, we all wanted to graduate, you
know, on time and together.
>> Wow.
>> And, it, you know, kind of would had been an embarrassment if you didn't graduate. So, it's kind of like we all
pushed each other, as well.
>> Great. So, it definitely -- it seems like your friends really motivated you.
>> Yes.
>> Can you think about other things that motivated you to graduate? Were you part of the Lao Club?
>> Nope. I wasn't part of any clubs [chuckle].
>> Oh, interesting. So, was there anything, I mean -- thinking back on your life, because it is also physically rare to
graduate in four years, right? And, why do you -- I mean, what do you attribute -- I mean, you definitely have great
persistence, right? What other things do you attribute to your success? Like, why did you do it? Like, I mean, were you
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
part of dance group? Were there -- I mean, did you do things growing up? Did your parents do anything special to
motivate you to graduate? I think you might ->> Nothing. No. Just, you know -- I mean, just growing up, I mean, just being -- throughout elementary, Dad would
reward us, you know, if we got good grades. So, that was always instilled in me from, you know, a young age.
>> Mhm. Well, interesting. So, did he explicitly tell you education was important? Or, did he show you? Or, did he tell
you stories about educational support? And, like, what did he do? And, did your mom encourage you for education?
>> I don't think my mom had any education. But, she was there to support us, as well. But, it was more of Dad that was
the pusher. And, he was the one who vocalized how important education was, and how much further in life you can
actually get. I mean, he pushed us.
>> Did he have an education?
>> He mentioned that he had some sort of education. I mean, growing up. I mean, he's gone now. I don't know what
level he had back in Lao. But, he also spoke French. I mean, he was in the Army, as well. But, he also spoke French.
He'd lost all that. And so, that was, you know, pretty inspiring and admirable, to see him speak in a different language.
>> Wow. Thinking back, it seems like college was very cultivated in your household, because your dad specifically told
you college is important. Did you -- do you think that in your community, are these kind of community enablers for
other Laos? Is the church important? Is dance groups, culture groups, friend groups -- you talk about friend groups are
important. Is there any, like, other community enablers that help out Lao in college?
>> Not that any that I was associated with. I have no idea, because I have never associated with any of them. So, I don't
know if any of those, you know, the tempo or any of that of any of them push, you know, kids to go to college or not. I
mean, I have no idea. It's hard to say.
>> Okay. Great. You -- these are the last couple questions I'm asking. What do you think that you want for yourself or
your daughter? Would you want smaller classes at Fresno State?
>> I think the number of classes that I had -- I mean, the variety -- there was drama class. That was a huge class. And,
then there were some classes that were small. So, it gave a variety, which kind of prepared you for life. I mean, because
you can't always have smaller classes. You're going to have bigger classes. So, in a way, that's just how it's going to be.
And so, it kind of prepared me for life. Like, you can't always have it your way. Accept it, and then learn how to deal
with it.
>> Okay. What about Asian professors? Did you have any, and would you want more Asian professors? Would you
want Lao professors?
>> I -- yeah, I had an Asian professor. She was Japanese. And, she was pretty, you know, she was pretty bad. She was a
strong-minded [chuckle] lady. Yeah. She was -- I don't remember her name. But, I think she was the only Asian
professor that I had. I took Chinese class. But, it was taught by a Caucasian male.
>> [Chuckle] Interesting. Okay. What about co-ethnic classmates? Did that make a difference to you?
>> I guess that I hung out with in high school, we didn't take any -- we took, for undergraduate, we did take the same
classes. But, after that, after, you know, we started going into our major, we fled. But, other than that, I didn't have any
other Asians in my -- every once in a while, I'd have a Japanese student in the criminology class. But, other than that, I
mean, I pretty much just kept to myself. Did my work. Turned it in.
>> Oh, interesting. And then, in general, for your daughter, would you want more ethnic clubs? Would you want a Lao
sorority? Or, Lao for fraternity?
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
>> I -- you know what? I don't -- she's also not involved in any clubs, as well. And, I urged her to, you know, get
involved. But, it's kind of hard when you've got school and work.
>> Mhm. And, then, if you're thinking about for your daughter, what college success workshops would you want for
her?
>> College success workshop? Maybe resume writing.
>> Oh, resume writing. Okay.
>> Let her find a job.
>> Yes.
>> I mean ->> That's a good idea.
>> That's something that she's going to need to learn when she, you know, is ready to go on her own. And, maybe
transitioning them in how to, you know, look for homes, because ->> Okay.
>> If she moves out, she's going to need to know how to buy a home, how to budget, all that -- all that stuff that I can
teach her. But, it would be nice to see it from an educational perspective on that end.
>> And then, would you want abyss in a kind of a cultural way? Because, a lot of Asians, particularly Asians, are taught
to look down, and, you know, to not look people in the eye. And, also not have a strong handshake. Would you want
this resume, kind of like, I would assume a college mock interviews, would you want it to be addressed in a cultural
manner, to kind of offset kind of cultural norms?
>> No, because, I mean, people nowadays -- I mean, I've had lawyers who understand that we don't look directly in the
eye, because that's considered disrespectful. So, they learn that. They know that. And, so they don't push on that.
>> Mhm.
>> And so, I mean, I think that's part of our culture and our heritage, that I'd hate to lose [inaudible] that. But, I know
we're kind of, you know, become accustomed to the American ways. But, we also don't want to lose our ways as Lao.
>> Good point. So, the last question is, advice to the third generation. Advice to your daughter. Advice to her cohort,
and the next generation coming after her. What advice do you have for struggling Southeast Asian students to graduate,
and the value of education, in general?
>> That education is the key. And, the education will get you so far. It's beyond what you can imagine. I mean, you can
get -- just the connections, alone, the people that you connect with. They can even get you places. Even that networking
piece, alone, can get you further than you can expect. But, I would say just do it. Just get out there, and just do it.
>> But, what if they have failure, or they're struggling? How could they go through that? There's this -- yeah. There's
this perception that, I shouldn't be struggling. I shouldn't fail.
>> Oh, gosh. That's hard, because -- I don't know. I mean, when my sister didn't go to college, we didn't push her. It was
kind of like, okay, that's your choice. That's your choice in life. And, she's not, you know, she's probably making more
money than me [chuckle]. But, you know, I mean, that was her choice. And, so Mom and Dad were okay with it. So, I
don't -- I don't know. I'm really not -- I'm not good with words on encouragement on that piece for -- if you don't want to
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]
side with someone who's not doing well, you can easily offend them by -- like saying stuff. I have no idea, and I don't
know how to answer that [chuckle].
>> Great. No worries. Thinking about your daughter, is there something that you want her to do in college that you
didn't do?
>> I want her -- I told her that I wanted her to travel aboard. You know, do ->> Yes! Yeah, definitely.
>> So, yeah. So, she can get a perspective on other cultures, and ->> That's great advice.
>> Take that opportunity, yeah, while you're in school, because I'm paying for it [chuckle].
>> Yeah. That is excellent advice, to go to a different country. That is excellent advice [chuckle].
>> Yeah.
>> Okay, great. Is there anything else that you want to suggest to the next generation?
>> I don't know what else to say.
>> So, great. You've actually given a lot of great tips. A lot of a -- lots of good advice. I'm going to thank you so much!
I'm going to turn off my recorders. So, let me --
file:///C/...t%20Asian%20Successful%20Voices/Files%20for%20upload/24_Manyvone_Sithavong_LaoF_BS-MSCriminlogy_Mom.clean.txt[3/10/2022 9:08:31 AM]