Amid the diverse population of California’s university campuses, Fresno State stands out as a microcosm of the state’s vibrant Southeast Asian communities. While California in general is home to one of the largest Asian American populations in the United States, the demographic distribution varies significantly by region. Fresno and the surrounding Central Valley have a smaller proportion of Asian Americans relative to these coastal cities, particularly Southeast Asian populations.

However, Fresno State has become a central hub for Southeast Asian students, particularly Hmong, Lao, and Filipino Americans. Many of these students are second- or third-generation immigrants who grew up in the Central Valley, with deep family ties to the area. The decision to attend Fresno State for many Southeast Asian students is often based on proximity to family, financial considerations, and community support structures.

Here, cultural student organizations like the Hmong Student Association (HmSA), Magkaisa Filipino Student Association (MGK), and Lao Student Association (LSA) play a vital role in supporting and empowering underrepresented students.

Though these groups face unique challenges stemming from their members’ diverse backgrounds and experiences, they are leveraging the power of community to drive academic achievement, cultivate identity, and enrich the broader campus experience. By concentrating on Fresno State’s thriving Southeast Asian cultural clubs, I talked to some of the leaders of HmSA, MGK, and LSA about how these student organizations are redefining the narrative around Southeast Asian students in higher education.

A Home Away from Home

For many students, the transition to college can be daunting. Leaving behind the familiarity of home and community, they often find themselves navigating a new and unfamiliar environment. However, the Southeast Asian student-run organizations at Fresno State offer a vital lifeline, creating a “home away from home” on campus.

According to a 2014 research summary submitted by Gena Lew Gong, Hiromi Kubo, and Dr. Yoshiko Takahashi, one key challenge that Southeast Asian students at Fresno State face is balancing family obligations with their educational goals. The study found that Southeast Asian students face significantly more demands on their time outside of academics compared to their non-Southeast Asian peers.

The data showed that 64% of Southeast Asian students spend more than an hour per day on housework, compared to just 37% of non-Southeast Asian students. Additionally, 37% of Southeast Asian students commute for over an hour each day, and 20% provide more than an hour of childcare daily — rates much higher than their non-Southeast Asian classmates.

The research states that the majority of Southeast Asian students at Fresno State “must overcome significant academic deficits, yet lack the necessary parental guidance to help them succeed in college.” This lack of academic support at home compounds the challenges they face in juggling coursework with outside responsibilities.

In response to these challenges, student-run organizations like LSA, MGK, and HmSA have stepped up to provide support. Muajmeej Xiong, HmSA’s vice president for the 2023-24 academic year, emphasized the organization’s mission.

“HmSA is dedicated to creating an environment where Hmong students and community friends alike are able to connect, celebrate our Hmong culture, and uplift one another,” Xiong said. “We promote social bonding, the pursuit of higher education, community service, and the unification of Asian spaces on the Fresno State Campus.”

For LSA President Saengsulee Phonxaylinkham, LSA has been more than just a campus organization; it’s been a transformative experience. “As a Laotian American, I never really knew other Lao people in Fresno besides family. Now, as president, I have participated in so many other Lao events. Most importantly, I’ve made strong connections with the elders in the community and have gotten more aware of the struggles my community experiences.”

Honoring Our Heritage

MGK President Noreen Lopez always knew she wanted to join the Filipino student organization. “I’ve always been involved with my culture, or at least I wanted to be very involved with the culture and getting to know my culture,” Lopez explained. “I felt like throughout my life I never really learned that part of myself. So in a sense, I’ve always wanted to join something like a cultural organization just to really find my identity as Filipino or Filipino American.”

Magkaisa, which means “united as one” in Tagalog, embodies this mission of cultural education and community building. As Lopez described it, “Our goal, our mission is to unite and educate through culture and friendship. So we really try to promote our culture, but also be welcoming to any ethnicity, any background, who wish to learn about our culture or just have a space to get to know people and find friends.”

One of the ways MGK promotes their culture on campus is the annual Filipino Culture Night (PCN). As Lopez explained, “PCN is really where your family gets made. We are practicing tirelessly during the spring semester to really showcase our culture through acting, songs, and especially dancing.” This event not only allows Filipino students to connect deeply with their cultural traditions but also provides an opportunity to share these traditions with the wider Fresno State community.

The preparation for PCN goes beyond just learning performances. It becomes a bonding experience that strengthens the sense of community within the club. “We really grow the sense of camaraderie, while also growing really strong friendships,” Lopez noted. “As time goes, you see who’s invested in this club, who’s invested in their culture, and those are the people you grow fond of.”

Cultural education is also a key component of these organizations’ activities. One of HmSA’s most significant initiatives is the annual Hmong New Year celebration, which has grown from a small club event to a campus-wide festivity.

“When I first joined HmSA, we had a small Hmong New Year celebration where we had one table in the middle of the Speaker’s Platform and showed our traditions to everyone who was walking by,” Xiong explained. “Eventually, the campus took notice and made it a much bigger event, funded by the university and sponsors.”

HmSA’s cultural promotion extends beyond this annual event. The organization regularly hosts workshops, lectures, and discussions that delve into various aspects of their cultures, from traditional customs to contemporary issues facing their communities. 

“We’re always there to help anyone, whether they’re Hmong or not, learn about our culture,” Xiong said. “I think we do a really great job of prioritizing education about our heritage alongside academic education.”

Empowered to Succeed

HmSA has always been at the forefront of educational initiatives within the Hmong community, as evidenced by their recent 35th Annual Higher Education Conference. The three-day, two-night conference provided a unique opportunity for high school students from throughout the Central Valley to engage with current college students and community professionals. The event was designed not only to help participants develop crucial leadership skills but also to foster meaningful relationships with peers and mentors.

“We made this year’s conference engaging, intellectual, and an encouraging environment for promoting cultural appreciation, awareness, and empowerment,” said Xiong. “This year, we awarded a total of $2,000 in scholarships to three deserving high school students, providing tangible support for their higher education aspirations.” 

LSA also stated how important it was for them to play a crucial role in educating both its members and the broader campus community about Lao culture and heritage. Phonxaylinkham highlights the organization’s educational initiatives and their impact on the Lao community in the Central Valley. 

One of LSA’s significant educational endeavors was their involvement in the Annual Laotian Education Conference (ALEC), organized in collaboration with the Laotian Community of Fresno (LACF). As part of this initiative, LSA members visited various middle schools and high schools in Fresno to conduct cultural workshops. 

“We made a cultural workshop that highlights some of the most important traditions in our culture,” Phonxaylinkham explained. “To my surprise, a lot of the kids didn’t know about the common traditions. It was an eye-opening experience for me.”

Within Fresno State, LSA takes its educational role seriously. Phonxaylinkham stated, “I think my role in LSA is very important. I feel like it is my responsibility to reach out to other organizations and create opportunities for our club to represent the Lao culture. To this day, there are a lot of people who do not know about our culture and I feel as if I hold some responsibility in doing so.”

The question of whether cultural-specific clubs might hinder campus integration is a complex and sometimes controversial topic. Noreen Lopez, president of MGK, offered a nuanced perspective on this issue. “One of the positive things about having these culture clubs is that every culture is so unique. As much as the whole mixing pot idea is valid, you know, everyone’s equal, but at the same time these cultures are unique and should be celebrated.”

Lopez argued that while the idea of total integration has merit, it can sometimes lead to the oversimplification of diverse experiences. “I feel like once you have just a mix of all the cultures, it’s hard to have any representation for your culture itself, or for that ethnicity,” she explained. “Because in the end, we’re all under Asian American, Southeast Asian Americans, but it’s really kind of glossing over the fact that these ethnicities have gone through so many different histories, have suffered through many different hardships, discrimination, all that stuff.”

However, Lopez also acknowledged the concerns about self-segregation: “I can see why that is a concern. And I can see how that may happen, especially because you are basically lumping every ethnicity into one group.”

To counter this concern, she emphasized the inclusive nature of these organizations: “With the Filipino Club, we are always open to new people, no matter what, and I feel like that should also carry on with the values which I do see with a lot of Southeast Asian American clubs. Because, even though we celebrate our culture, we are also open to so many other ethnicities. That’s why we collaborate, and that’s why there are so many different ethnicities within each club.”

Cover: Hmong Student Association, Fresno at their 40th annual Summer Banquet. Courtesy of Katie Xiong