Zoua Xiong

Five feet two, short dark hair- of course, I'm Asian, Hmong to be exact. My name is Zoua Xiong and I was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. Both of my parents were born in Laos- where exactly, I don't even know- and made their way courageously to the United States in the late 1970's. My family has shaped me to who I am now. The amount of impact that they have on my life is incredible- so before you start learning about me, know a little about these people first. I enjoy taking part in extracurricular activities and I would like to think that I, in some way, am making a difference in the community. And lastly my future, aspirations, and dreams- what every teenager consists of and I have plenty of them.
Five siblings and three bedrooms only, can you imagine? I have an older sister and three younger brothers. My sister, Pang, is nineteen years old and just finished her first year at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. My younger brothers are: Lyn 15, William 12, and Thaivon 6 years old. My parents are divorced and I, along with all of my siblings but Lyn, am currently living with my mother. We get along most of the time but like every family, have our share of problems as well. Everyone in my family is unique but William stands out from them all. William is autistic and his disability often challenges my family and me but we love him no matter what. There is nothing that I would change about any of these people.
I spend my time doing a variety of activities. I am currently the President of my school's Asian club. It was extremely rewarding to help with Asian club last year and so I decided to take part in it again this year. I especially enjoy helping with the HmoobTeen magazine, a literary magazine for young Hmong teens. It feels so good when people come up to me and tell me how wonderful the work is that my friends and I do. As of now I am looking for more volunteer opportunities, particularly pertaining to domestic abuse issues. This topic is very interesting and I look forward to learning more about it, as well providing help.
As far as dreams go, I look forward to graduating from college and eventually making my way to getting a master's degree. In what field exactly? I have no clue. There are a hundred things that I am interested in and it's just a matter of truly finding my passion. I have many career goals and will hopefully obtain some part of my dream. All I know is that I'll make it.
These three qualities are all you need to know to truly understand me. I am my family, the things that I do, and my desires for the future. My family members are very important to me and the things they do affect me in so many different ways. The activities that I take part in make me feel special and have a large impact on me as well. And where I plan to go in the future is what motivates me to do the things that I am doing now. Put these together and you have Zoua Xiong!