“My full time job is designing shoes for a brand I love, and I also create videos and content with my partner, John, for our YouTube channel.”
“I love sharing my Lao culture with John and my friends.”
“I love sharing everything from our food, customs, and celebrations to simple moments with my parents and family.”
“It feels like a special gift I can give others.”
“Oftentimes when I meet new people they tell me that I am the first Lao person they’ve ever met.”
“Teaching John how to speak Lao has been really fun and an amazing way for us to bond. He’s very good at pronunciation and sounds.”
“We believe that it’s important to learn each other’s languages to carry on the culture for our future family and generations.”
“We started our channel to represent our cultures. We didn’t see other faces that looked like ours and we believe that it’s important to show others that we are out here too.”
“My parents are both refugees of war. With their families, they left Laos to stay in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines, and eventually landed in Rhode Island in the 1980’s where they met and married.”
“I like to think that their union was the very first chapter of their Great American Dream.”
“They worked long hours and overtime at their factory jobs to provide for me and my little sister. My mother told me that they’ve worked hard so that we could focus on our education and never worry about money, and for that I am forever grateful.”
“Their experiences and sacrifices have provided me with a path to pursue my dreams. Now that we are older, they continue to work at the same factory jobs to reach their dreams of retiring and providing for future generations.”
“One of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make was to move away for college at the age of 17 and leave my family in Rhode Island. Family is the most important thing to me so it was hard to be away from them. Nowadays, I return home as often as I can to spend time with my family and eat Lao food.”
“My greatest lesson in life is to believe in myself. My mother has always believed in me and continues to challenge me to push beyond my comfort zone and grow. My grandmother taught me to learn by watching and listening, and to speak with compassion and an open heart. ”
“My family is Buddhist and it is a very big part of who I am. My great grandfather was a Buddhist monk and was the leader of our family.”
“The lessons I learned from my grandpa and continue to learn after his passing affects my views on life. I strive to cultivate mindfulness, gratitude, and compassion within myself while sharing that with others. With those lessons, I believe I can do anything.”
“My biggest inspiration has always been and always will be my family. They have been supportive and encouraging in my pursuit of making my own way in this life.”
“I am the eldest of 12 grandchildren on my mother’s side and feel great honor and responsibility to carry on our family’s legacy, lead by example, and show that anything is possible.”
“In addition to continuing to design shoes, I am looking forward to creating more videos and being a voice for Lao people and the Asian American diaspora.”
“My lifelong mission is to share my lessons and my joy to uplift, inspire, and motivate others to live intentionally.”
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Nilunda’s story is part of The Lao Project, a collection of narrative portraits of Lao Americans.
My name is Vekonda Luangaphay and I started The Lao Project In light of 2020 Lao New Year and Asian History Month. Click below to read more stories from The Lao Project.
