“Hello, my name is Hope Vang, and I was a HYPU Scholarship Recipient in 2020. I graduated in 2023 from the University of California, Irvine with two degrees in English and Comparative Literature and a minor in Creative Writing. And now I am a first-year master’s student at Fresno State studying English Literature.

The journey to higher education can be a misty, lonely, and scary adventure. In this world, we unfortunately have a price tag on higher education, making it harder to access for many individuals and making it even more difficult to graduate. HYPU’s scholarship not only made this journey towards higher education more feasible, but it also validated my accomplishments leading up to the scholarship and gave me the confidence to keep moving forward. Like a twinkle in a dark sky, all of my hard work was finally recognized by someone. HYPU believed in me, many others before me, and those that come after me. And with this new-found confidence, I can navigate uncharted seas, enlightening the path for those also seeking higher education. A single scholarship can create an empowering domino effect, rippling waves of positive change that will impact the individual and collective lives we touch.

The HYPU scholarship program is important to continue because it actively seeks to change the future of Hmong people. The legacy the scholarship leaves behind is more than the finances the scholarship provides: it opens a hundred more doors by making higher education possible. As a community, we can support our students and give them the confidence in accomplishing their dreams, serving their lives’ purpose, and marking their journeys into history books.”

“My name is Sun Ny Vang, and I am one of the first, if not the nation’s first, Hmong Music Ph.D. student and candidate. I am an educator and a vocalist, but my passion and responsibility center on community-based work that uplift, amplify, and empower the voices of my community members; especially when it comes to Hmong activists, educators, musicians, linguists, artists, and their works, to name a few.

I have applied for many funding opportunities during my time as a graduate student, but because much of my work is positioned and carried out locally, I have not received very many awards and have thus self-funded the majority of my own research projects on Hmong music. Anyone who has or is struggling financially, especially as a graduate student in California, knows how debilitating it can be to not have the financial resources to neither carry out nor complete aspects of their studies. I want to sincerely thank the HYPU scholarship program for supporting my academic research on Hmong music, and thank you to the members of the organization for the ongoing support for collaborating on projects. I am forever grateful. I want the HYPU scholarship program to continue because it supports the next generation of Hmong scholars and thinkers.”