What would it look like for Asian American children to feel confident as their authentic selves? Growing up between cultures often teaches them how to make themselves smaller rather than how to belong. This question is what Sophia Siong sought to better understand. Her story is about choosing wholeness in a world that so often asks Asian Americans to diminish themselves.

Sophia Siong, is a recent graduate of Regis University, who is leading community research on how Hmong Americans find belonging. Just north of Denver in cities like Westminster and Thornton is where many Hmong American families reside.

According to the Pew Research Center, 360,000 people in the United States identified as Hmong in 2023. Hmong are often seen as an ‘ethnic minority,’ which gives more reason to speak about and share their culture proudly.

Sophia shares: “I remember in middle school, when a friend asked about my ethnicity and I told them I was Hmong, they responded, ‘Oh, Mongolian!’ I corrected them, but I realized I couldn’t explain why Hmong is different or what that difference truly meant. At the time, I knew our traditions and foods, but I didn’t yet know how to articulate my identity or its significance to someone else.”

This was a spark for Sophia’s curiosity to learn more about Hmong culture and ultimately about herself. At Regis University, Sophia embarked on a community research journey to learn about her Hmong culture. 

There was an increase of Hmong migration to the U.S after the Vietnam War. 

“My father immigrated to France from refugee camps in Thailand, and as a result, our last name, originally spelled Xyooj and pronounced “Shong,” was recorded in a way that didn’t exactly match the original Hmong pronunciation. Over time, it became Siong,” said Sophia.

This experience is true for many Hmong individuals who migrated to the United States as well. Most Hmong Americans with the same last name instead have the spelling Xiong. 

“From what my parents have told me, the spelling often depended on which country you migrated to and which officer handled your case.”

One of the closest ties to Hmong culture is the Hmong language. 

The battle of living a double life in America versus growing up Hmong is a challenge many Asian immigrants can relate to. 

How does one hold onto their culture when English is the dominant language in the United States? For Asian immigrant children like Sophia, cultural learning requires intentional effort—it is rarely passed down effortlessly. That reality can often feel isolating.

Luckily, as Sophia was learning more about her culture, she discovered a nonprofit specifically focused on preserving and retelling AANHPI histories in Colorado.

Sophia shares that the first time she met the Executive Director of Colorado Asian Pacific United (CAPU) Joie Ha was impactful.

“I met Joie two years ago, and it was one of the first times I met someone in Denver who truly related to my interests and experiences. She was the person who first suggested doing research with the Hmong community. Knowing that others were interested in learning about Hmong history and stories motivated me to fully commit to the work and get involved.”

Discovering a local organization like CAPU, gave Sophia confidence to reach out to other organizations like the Hmong American Association of Colorado (HMAAC). 

“My mother was involved with HMAAC when I was younger,” she said. “So I had always admired the large community events they hosted, such as Hmong New Year and the Summer Festival. With the support of CAPU and my research, I found the courage to reach out and collaborate with HMAAC to share the work being done in the Hmong community outside of the organization itself.”

Combining her innate curiosity, passion for uplifting Hmong culture, and community research lens, Sophia led an effort to organize her very own Hmong Story Cloth exhibit titled, “Inherited Stories, Contemporary Voices.”

With support from HMAAC, CAPU and Regis University professors Dr. Geoffrey Bateman and Dr. Jay Campisi, Sophia launched the Inherited Stories, Contemporary Voices exhibit as part of HMAAC’s Hmong New Year celebration in November 2025 (details in insert column).  

Story cloths are a native medium for preserving Hmong culture and Hmong people. Sophia characterizes her exhibit: “These pieces are powerful because they preserve the lived experiences of those who fled during and after the Vietnam War.”

“In many ways, story cloths function as history books for the Hmong community as our history has largely been passed down orally or through these visual narratives.”

One story cloth from Terry Thao, an artist from California is a piece Sophia deeply relates to: “It reminds us that home is not a place we must earn; it is already within us, carried in spirit, tradition, and story.” (Terry Thao, Indigo Children). 

Many Asian American children—especially second-generation Hmong youth—carry a cultural guilt that pressures them to choose between being “American” or “Hmong.” They are often labeled “too much” of one or the other, yet never fully accepted as enough of either.

Sophia hopes her community research helps change that narrative. Inspired by CAPU’s Operations Manager Catharine McCord, she reflects on the idea that identity is never “half”—people are always whole. That perspective now guides her work and her belief that children should feel able to show up as their full selves in any space: 100% Hmong and 100% American, without shrinking or adjusting who they are.

Learn more about CAPU at: coloradoasianpacificunited.org and see Sophia Siong’s research project and thesis, “Who are the Hmong? Sense of Belonging for the Hmong of Colorado”