Read the full article by Amritpal Kaur Sandhu-Longoria at Hmong Daily News and RAM’s New Times Magazine
Later this year, a group of Hmong American young women from Sacramento will travel to Laos to finally meet their yearlong pen pals in person.
They are part of Hmong Youth Beyond Borders (HYBB), a Sacramento-based initiative that has mentored and fostered the relationships between the four Hmong young women from Sacramento and 13 young women in Laos. The upcoming trip, which they are fundraising for, is an effort to help connect the participants across the world and learn more about their Hmong heritage.
“It’s going to be so unreal,” said Mikayla Her, 19, a participant of the program.
Founded in July 2024 by Pachia Xiong, winner of last year’s Miss Hmong Grand International, HYBB was conceived through deep reflection of her own life. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Thailand, and as the 10th child in her family, she is the first one to attend college. Much of her life and upbringing were rooted in tradition, and she sought out opportunities beyond the expectations of marriage, she said.