Farming Culture Motivates First Generation College Student

For many Hmong families in Wisconsin, farming is a livelihood that teaches bonding and self-sufficiency. But once a tradition normally passed down through the years, the value and practice of agriculture is dissipating as younger generations become more and more acculturated into American norms.

For one area Hmong student, farming provided the motivation to further her education and strive for a different future. Coua Lo, a first-generation college student attending Madison Area Technical College and the third of nine children, began gardening at a young age.

“Growing up, we were actually excited to wake up early in the morning to go garden with my grandma,” Lo said. “They’d roast meat for [us] to eat and made it fun for [us] so [we] actually wanted to go.”

 As she grew older and the garden grew into a farming business, that sentiment changed.

 “[Gardening] was a lot of hard work because as you get older, they know you can do more,” Lo said. “You’re waking up at five in the morning and you have to fit your life into gardening.” The hardships of farming made college an attractive option.

Lo’s mom, Mee Yang, is a vendor at the Dane County Farmers’ Market and supports Lo in pursuing a degree. At first, Yang was opposed to her daughter’s desire to attend school in Madison, a three-hour drive from their hometown of Elk Mound, Wisconsin. But Yang gave in when Lo persisted.

Born and raised near Eau Claire, her decision to study in Madison was not an easy one.

“Growing up, I’ve always felt I had to be more mature than everybody else. I really never got to join sports or any activities at school because I didn’t have a ride,” Lo said. “Both my parents worked and no one was babysitting. Ever since I was 15, I’ve been trying to take care of my siblings.”

Although Lo expressed that she has made sacrifices in the past, there are more struggles than relief in moving away from home. During her first year in Madison, she felt isolated from the campus community and guilty for pursuing an education so far from home, where she was unable to assist with the farm and her family’s needs.

But Lo stayed motivated by her desire to be a role model for younger generations. She witnessed a handful of Hmong girls marry at a young age and vowed never to follow that path.

“Back home I have a lot of people who doubt me. I want them to see that I did it here on my own...I’ll prove them wrong.”

Lo’s goal is to become either an optometrist or ophthalmologist. This fall she hopes to be admitted to the Optometry Technician program at MATC. “And then I’ll build on from there.”