Ka Lia was just an infant when she immigrated to the United States with her family in the mid 1990’s. Although she grew up in America, she credits being born in Thailand for humbling her and her roots. It’s not hard to see that Ka Lia is not only very humble, she is full of drive, compassion, and determination.
Ka Lia has had her share of great experiences in different Hmong communities across the country. She’s moved around from the midwest, to the west coast, and settled down in Massachusetts with her loving husband and his family. Ka Lia is very passionate when it comes to helping out the community and has a long history of volunteer work. We were amazed to find out that prior to moving to Massachusetts, Ka Lia was a volunteer firefighter in NorCal. How awesome is that?
Ka Lia’s love for helping the community runs just as deep as her love for education. She was a Spring Covid graduate of Mount Wachusett Community College during the height of the pandemic in 2020. In her time at MWCC, Ka Lia not only excelled, she was also very involved with the college community, culture, and extracurricular activities. She earned several scholarships, participated in numerous clubs, held several officer titles, volunteered in her free time, and received multiple academic awards. Most notably, Ka Lia’s academic recognitions include The Human Service Curriculum Award for the graduating Class of 2020 as well as The Visions and RX Presidential Award. She was proudly inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, made the Dean’s List several semesters, and graduated with Highest Honors. With all her accomplishments and drive, it’s no wonder Ka Lia successfully earned a full ride transfer student scholarship to a 4 year public college.
Ka Lia then went on to pursue her Bachelors Degree at Fitchburg State University while working in the field. At FSU, she was also a Covid graduate in the Fall of 2021. Talk about making the best use of time during the pandemic! Ka Lia was once again on the Dean’s List, finishing with High Honors, and graduated magna cum laude, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Human Services.
With all her accolades and accomplishments, Ka Lia still remains humble. Ka Lia shared with us “I love what I do and I love helping out the community, especially the elderly population. I have a lot of experience doing so as a case manager.” Ka Lia is the walking definition of “Do what you love, Love what you do.” Her passion, enthusiasm, and love for life and education is contagious.
Ka Lia graciously offered some really great advice to the youth: “My best advice for all new or returning students is to volunteer and get out of your comfort zone. You never know who you will run into and the professional relationships you’ll make. Also look out for scholarships, I graduated with $0 student debt.”
Thank you Ka Lia for sharing your story with us! Congrats on all you have accomplished!
Comments