Scholarship Entry 2013

My Scholarship Entry - A Place To Call Home

USA | Sunday, June 30, 2013 | 5 photos

I am Hmong. The Hmong are a people without a home country. A people who have shape their identity by assimilation and adaptation. We are hill tribes and mountain people from Laos and Thailand who immigrated to Westernized countries for freedom. There is a saying in Hmong, “When you live in the world of others, imitate their skills. When you live in the land of others, imitate their kind.” It is in our blood to persevere like birds learning to fly. I live my life with the contrast of being Hmong and then shedding it to wear the American stripes. Will our traditions will be forgotten, language unspoken, and history unwritten as we continue to adapt? In 2012, my travels to Laos and visiting Hmong villages exposed me the importance of capturing stories, people’s lives and struggles, and to document cultures and places before they become a fragment of time. I am a global citizen who strives to engage with different cultures and communities to share experiences. Photography is an expression of my identity and fuels my pursuit to belong and understand places people call home. This scholarship and Jason’s mentoring will enable me reach a new height of artistry and perspective.