Inspiring Graduate: Pa Chie Vang (’23)
- Hometown: Menomonie
- Degree: B.S. Human Development & Family Studies
Between raising a family and working full time, Pa Chie Vang didn’t think she’d ever go back to school for her bachelor’s degree.
But after her associate degree in early childhood education and teaching from Chippewa Valley Technical College, Vang returned to school for human development and family studies and graduated from UW-Stout on May 6, along with 1,173 graduates.
“It took me a while to get to where I am,” she said. “What I am most proud of as I finish my degree is that even when things got hard in life and I wanted to give up on school, I didn’t. I owe that resilience to the two people I watched growing up who persevered through the trauma of war to give my siblings and I an educated life, even when faced with the adversities of poverty, racism and discrimination.”
Vang plans to earn her master’s after spending more time with her family. She is currently a youth development specialist with Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley; and an English learner paraeducator with the School District of Menomonie Area.
How has UW-Stout prepared you to work in your field?
My Stout education has taught me more about human services, professionalism and the community.
All the professors have provided important learning opportunities for me to enhance my critical thinking skills, my interpersonal skills, my cultural competence skills and professional skills. I am also grateful for all the personal development opportunities that helped me gain a better understanding of self-care and the importance of my morals and values as I work in the human service field.
What stood out the most about my Stout experience was the professors.
I was lucky to have really good professors who were engaging and helpful and gave great constructive feedback to me so that I can grow academically, personally and professionally.
How did you overcome the challenges you faced in earning your degree?
My Stout education taught me how important it is to prioritize and time manage because it can be overwhelming. This was challenging, as I work full time and have a family.
I had to really discipline myself in order to stay on track so that I wouldn’t burn out. I had to start intentionally dividing up my time in my daily planner and blocking off hours after work for homework, family time and self-care.
The other challenge for me was trying to figure out what would work best for me in terms of what kind of learner I am. I am a visual/hands-on learner, so not having a physical textbook in front of me was extremely difficult. I had to learn to use e-books.
