PoHE 2024: "Our Stories of the Past, Present, and Future"
APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 15, 2024 @ 11:59PM
Mentee App Link: tinyurl.com/highschoolPoHE
The Hmong Student Association at Berkeley invites Hmong high school students to the Pursuit of Higher (PoHE)!
2023-2024 Theme: “Our Stories of the Past, Present, and Future”
With this theme, we want to focus on the collective stories and narratives of our cultural history that have helped shape our journey and Hmong identity. As the storytellers for our community’s future, we must continue to learn about our roots and history to help navigate our present challenges and help shape a greater future to help uplift and empower our community. With PoHe this year, we hope to strengthen the resilience and power of the stories of our ancestors and ourselves for future generations. We are excited to bring back the Pursuit of Higher Education, an academically enriching program that elevates the voices of Hmong students in higher education and strengthens our broader community. PoHE is dedicated to empowering and encouraging Hmong high school students in the northern and central regions of California to strive towards higher education through a dynamic 3-day, 2-night event. The PoHE program is full of engaging activities, informative workshops, and transformative experiences that emphasize the importance of higher education and the embracement of their identity. Through PoHE, students will also build meaningful connections to other Hmong students and HSAB members.
Previous PoHE Programs
PoHE 2021: "Crossing Borders"
We are so excited to bring back PoHE in a new virtual format! Created to amplify the Hmong voice in higher education, the Hmong Student Association at Berkeley initiated the Pursuit of Higher Education (PoHE) program in 2008. Historically, PoHE was a three-day, two-night educational conference in mid-April located at the University of California, Berkeley. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PoHE will be hosted virtually on Monday, April 5th to Sunday, April 11th, 2021 via Zoom in the evening PST.
The program caters, but is not limited, to Hmong high school students from California. As a virtual conference hosted in Pacific Standard Time (PST), anyone interested in applying from out-of-state is responsible to account for their time zone and capacity in joining us.
Selected participants will have the opportunity to participate in academic and cultural workshops, develop leadership skills through peer-bonding activities, and learn more about the Hmong history and culture. Please take note that academic performance is not a factor in the acceptance of participants, thus all students from various academic backgrounds and experiences are highly encouraged to apply.
PoHE 2021 Theme: “Crossing Borders” – borders that our ancestors, or even you, once crossed to seek asylum, and borders that have caused the suppression of our own voices and conflict among our identity. Like our resilient ancestors once did, we must recognize the paths and difficulties we face as minorities as it is our turn as the next generation to cross a new border into a path of empowerment. We aim to create a safe space for you to explore and fight for your own voice and individuality, as well as deconstructing social norms, navigating our different identities, and overcoming generational gaps. How can we accomplish all these aspects while staying true to who we are? How can we build bridges to bring each other together? And how do we fight unjust system barriers? Through recognizing our historical background and current contemporary issues, we have the ability and power to uplift each other and our community on the other side of these boundaries. We should foster compassion for all and encourage the voices of our communities to grow.
When thinking of borders, many people tend to think of a line that divides two territories, but what happens if you are in between those lines? How can we measure and find that balance of our “identities”? Our own identity, privilege, background, cultural heritage, and where we stand in the history and political socio-economic world of America shaped who we are as individuals and how we view ourselves and others in the present political and social climate systems. With the theme of “Crossing Borders,” we hope to start discussions about how the Hmong developed in this country, how we connect with other cultures, and how it influenced our perception of reality. We aspire to connect the several borders and boundaries we encounter throughout our lives and find the middle ground in it all. We hope it will generate a new perspective on Hmong history as well as meaningful social progress for our own future that were shaped by Hmong politics, traditions, and more.
PoHE 2017: "My Hmong-American Journey"
The Hmong Student Association at Berkeley (HSAB) is a student-initiated service group established in 2008 with the mission to promote higher education and cultural understanding of the Hmong community. To amplify the Hmong voice in higher education, the Hmong Student Association at Berkeley initiated the Pursuit of Higher Education (PoHE) program in 2008. PoHE is a three-day, two-night educational program from Friday, April 14th to Sunday, April 16th, 2017 located at the University of California, Berkeley. The program caters, but is not limited, to Hmong high school students from the northern and central regions of California. Selected participants will have the opportunity to participate in academic and cultural workshops, develop leadership skills through peer-bonding activities, and learn more about the Hmong history and culture.
This is an all-expense paid program, which includes food, transportation, and housing. All high school students in northern and central California are eligible to apply. This year’s theme is “My Hmong-American Journey.” With this theme in mind, we want to focus on how an individual’s Hmong identity and American identity intersects to create our narrative. What does it mean to be Hmong-American? For the Hmong community, we endure so much intergenerational trauma and often feel lost. We have many identities that overlap, which often presents us with various paths to take; however, despite the challenges we come across, we need to be reminded that we are never alone. We each have our own narrative and together our narratives can empower us on our journey of courage, determination, and resilience towards higher education. We hope to come together at this crossroad of our lives to learn, build, and grow so we can continue our Hmong-American journey as individuals and as a community.
PoHE 2016: "The Ties That Bind"
We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.
PoHE 2011: "Pieces of You, Pieces of Me"
Individually, we are unique; together, we are complete.