UWSP: Project Forward gives Hmong a career path into the classroom

University Relations and Communications, 715-346-3046, Fax 715-346-2042, www.uwsp.edu/news

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) School of Education continues to give Hmong students the tools and guidance they need to become certified Southeast Asian refugee classroom teachers in Wisconsin.

In collaboration with the UW-La Crosse Research Center for Cultural Diversity and Community Renewal, UWSP’s Project Forward has recently received a $35,515 grant by the center. This is the sixth year of Project Forward with all originating grant funds coming from the U.S. Department of Education.

Project Forward is designed to assist Southeast Asian/Hmong overcome barriers to educational advancement with the goal of becoming certified teachers in Wisconsin. The geographic focus for the program is the communities of Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids. Participants must be of Southeast Asian descent, must have a high school diploma or GED equivalent, and must pursue English as a Second Language (ESL) or bilingual education certification minor. Once a student is enrolled in Project Forward, he or she must maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average to sustain tuition support.

According to Mai Vang, a graduate of the program and coordinator for UWSP’s Project Forward, there have been 19 undergraduates and three graduate students who have successfully attained degrees over the past five years. Last month three Project Forward students received their diplomas at winter commencement. Two of the three graduates, Maichoua Moua and Methuselah Thao, completed their student teaching experience at the D.C. Everest School District this winter.

“Project Forward graduates are making a significant contribution to Central Wisconsin as ten of our graduates are teaching in surrounding school districts,” said Vang. “Having earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree here at UWSP, I know first hand how Project Forward made a huge difference in my life and it is doing likewise for other Hmong students both in the classroom and in the Hmong community.”