By Larry Sorensen
It was a long trip to Gustavus Adolphus College for Zong Xiong, a junior majoring in nursing. Zong came to the United States from Thailand with her parents when she was three years old. They settled in the Twin Cities, and Zong graduated from Central High School in St. Paul.
She decided to go into nursing after doing volunteer work at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. She says she was always interested in biology and health, but her volunteer work really gave her a sense of direction. It also started a path of service to others that she expects to continue through her life.
When she was in high school, Zong tutored elementary students and visited elders in nursing homes. She helped with fundraising activities and did volunteer work at hospitals. As part of a teen council, she also worked with at-risk students, and now her service continues at Gustavus. Zong visited six colleges but says, “I really loved Gustavus when I saw it.”
At Gustavus, Zong is coordinating a program called Mentors Assisting on Campus. This program pairs an incoming minority student with an upperclass minority student to help the new students become aware of the resources that Gustavus offers. A primary purpose of the program is to support minority students at the college. As a first-year student, Zong had a mentor and says, “It really helped.” She also served as a mentor in her second year.
She also helps promote diversity and awareness of Asian cultures on campus as a member of the Asian Cultures Club, which sponsors Asian performers and Asian speakers on campus. In addition to all her involvement in her many service projects, Zong is also a member of the Gustavus Student Nursing Association.
In 2004, Zong was named a winner of the prestigious Jay and Rose Phillips Scholarship for 2004–2006, and as part of that scholarship, she had to design a summer project that would benefit disadvantaged people in Minnesota. For her project, she has elected to work with young Hmong girls between the ages of 13 and 16 to promote healthy growth and help them develop self-esteem.
An article published last year reported that Hmong girls had the highest rate of pregnancies of any race in Ramsey County. Since their culture requires that pregnant girls must get married, young families are created that have many difficulties. This article made a big impression on Zong and was the basis for her project.
“In the traditional Hmong culture,” Zong says, “boys are encouraged to go for their dreams and go to school, but girls are not. I want to give them that opportunity.”
Her project will span eight weeks during the summer of 2005, during which time she will meet with her group twice weekly for two-hour sessions. They will discuss the “clash of cultures” and the opportunities that are available. Zong is planning to bring in speakers from a variety of areas to talk to the girls and hopes to bring her group to Gustavus to experience the college environment.
In September 2004, Zong received an “Eleven Who Care” award, presented by KARE 11 television in Minneapolis and given annually to eleven people in Minnesota who have excelled in volunteer work. Zong reports that her television appearance was her first and made her very nervous.
Zong also was last year’s recipient of the prestigious Youth Leadership Award, presented by the National Community Education Association. The national award is given annually to one student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in community and academic service. She was nominated by her high school mentor, May Ellen Arvanitis, who is the director of Fresh Force Service Learning and Leadership Program in the St. Paul Public Schools. The NCEA conference was held last December in New Orleans, and Zong happily spent four days there while receiving her award.
Being of service to others has become a way of life for Zong Xiong.