Embracing My Heritage

Born in Portland, Oregon to immigrant Hmong parents, I feel blessed to have a wonderfully large and supportive family. Being the middle child of 12 has been humbling and I’ve learned every day is full of new opportunities. From an early age I thrived on collaborating, building, and change — with failures only making me stronger.

Growing up my parents wanted us to be successful which meant to be as American as possible. We didn’t stand out, focused on education, and only spoke English. We weren’t taught traditional customs or language. One memory I do have is my mother teaching cross-stitching for traditional Hmong clothes.

Recently I’ve rediscovered my Hmong heritage by picking up cross-stitch again and recording my mother’s patterns. This has grown into a project of research and documenting the different patterns mother’s teach their daughters and will pass this on to the next generation of Hmong Americans.