Campus hosts Hmong Parents Day on Saturday

In response to a study indicating Hmong families’ commitment to but disconnect from the college experience, the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus will host the first ever Hmong Parents Day – or Hnub Txhawb Nqa Niam Txiv – on Saturday, April 9.

The study, conducted by the Hmong Research Team, revealed limited institutional contact among such mothers and fathers, and the team secured funding to welcome 25 sets of area parents to campus for dialog and support.

Saturday’s events, which begin at 9 a.m. with registration and breakfast in the Wisconsin Idea Room in the Education Building, aim to help the heads of families learn to navigate higher education through special speakers, student presentations, and tours of Chadbourne Residence Hall and College Library.

“The programming will be conducted all in Hmong and integrate culturally relevant conversations and interactions,” says Alberta M. Gloria, professor of counseling psychology.

According to Gloria, the majority of Hmong undergraduates are the first in their families to attend college, making recruitment and retention efforts imperative for the university.

“This programming is a result of the community identifying a need and the university — the Hmong Research Team — responding with an action and community-based intervention,” Gloria says.