All posts tagged: education

A Dream of Rainbows: An Interview with Noi Sengsourigna

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Noi Sengsourigna is a Lao musician, artist and educator. She grew up in a family dedicated to the preservation and the teaching of Lao culture and is actively continuing the tradition while pursuing many other pursuits in Vientiane.  An architecture graduate from RMIT, Australia, her passion is Lao culture, music and dance and sharing them with children. In pursuit of that passion she became a songwriter, producer and performer in live concerts, on television and in recordings. She has been a news reader on Lao National Television, and volunteers with many community projects to help the Lao people. Many of our readers had a chance to meet her in the United States during her nationwide tour in 2009. She recently celebrated her birthday, and Little Laos on the Prairie caught up with her recently to discuss her latest projects.   Can you tell us a little about yourself? And where are you headed these days? I’m a singer and song writer. I was born in Vientiane, Laos. Currently I am taking a Diploma Course in Sathya Sai …

Following Your Dreams: A Spotlight on Dr. Ketmani Kouanchao

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Dr. Ketmani Kouanchao celebrates her birthday on October 5th this week. A Lao American community builder, educator and contributor to Little Laos on the Prairie, she recently celebrated her one-year anniversary as Dean of Student Services at Mendocino College in Ukiah, California. Dean Kouanchao is one of the few Lao Americans in the country to successfully pursue higher education, and she’s used her knowledge to encourage others to pursue education as a fundamental part of their lifelong success. She received her doctorate from California State University-Fullerton in Community College Leadership. Prior to that, she’d received her Master’s in Family Education from the University of Minnesota, where she’d also received her bachelor’s in Sociology, Public Health, and East Asian Studies. She often credits her success to the lessons she learned with her family as refugees from Laos as they began their lives again in North Minneapolis. “My mother and father always stressed the importance of education in our lives and taught us to give back to the community. We had a lot of options, but my …