ASA Awareness in the Community
Below are the results of a survey that went out after UMM' 03' Homecoming to UMM Asian American Alumns:
Name:
City, State,-Country:
Major:
Year of graduation:
What were your expectations of UMM before coming here?
Did you meet these expectations?
What were the biggest challenges here?
What were the biggest accomplishments?
How did you get involved with ASA?
What activities did you participate in and outside of ASA during your time at UMM?
Do you have any advice for current/future ASA students that come to UMM-Morris, MN?
What's life like after UMM for you; what do you do now (eg. family, job, etc...) that your experience in ASA/UMM is helping you do right now?
Any questions (eg. to be added to this questionnaire), comments, etc..?
Name: Cy Thao
City,:Saint Paul
State: Minnesota
Country (born): Laos
Major:Political Science and Studio Art
Year of graduation: 1995
What were your expectations of UMM before coming here? I just wanted to go to a liberal arts school that was far enough from
my parents but still close enough to get home to if they needed me or I
needed them. It turned out to be a really good school.
Did you meet these expectations?Yes, those expectations were met. UMM did more than just meeting my expectation. I was really surprised at the quality of the school. I really had a good time there. I learned and grew a lot while I was
there.
What were the biggest challenges here? Adjusting to a small town and adjusting to college life. I had to get use to knowing when to study and manage my times better. I came from a bigger city so living in a small town like Morris was very different. I had to get adjust to everything closes at 6pm.
What were the biggest accomplishments?
Finish school and not have a big student loan.
How did you get involved with ASA?
Maybe not "how" but why. I got involved with ASA to be around other students with similar backgrounds. To create a sense of community/family at school.
What activities did you participate in and outside of ASA during your time at UMM?
I did almost everything. Student government, French club, juggling, KUMM Radio, Karate, intramural sports, cheerleading/stunt.
Do you have any advice for current/future ASA students that come to UMM-Morris, MN?
Really take the time to do your school work and get to know yourself by participating in activities that interests you. Try new things. Get
out of your comfort zone.
What's life like after UMM for you; what do you do now (eg. family, job, etc...) that your experience in ASA/UMM is helping you do right now?
UMM provided a solid base for me. I knew who I was and what I was able to do when I left UMM.
Link: Cy Thao (DFL) 65A Minnesota House of Representative
Name: Junius Gunaratne
City, State,-Country: Princeton, NJ, USA
Major: Computer Science
Year of graduation: 2001 (1997-1999 UMM)
What were your expectations of UMM before coming here? I’d heard very good things about the academic program at UMM. People had told me the students were motivated and friendly.
Did you meet these expectations? Yes. UMM has a very supportive community—both the students and faculty. I’ve taken courses at several schools, public and private, big and small, and the quality of teaching at UMM is high.
What were the biggest challenges here? Morris is a very small town and I felt a bit isolated in rural Minnesota. I came from the Fargo-Moorhead area which seemed like a metropolis after setting foot in Morris.
What were the biggest accomplishments? It was relatively easy to get to know people in my dorm and through activities. I think people’s friendliness on campus had a lot to do with the school’s small size.
How did you get involved with ASA? I’d heard about it from a friend, my orientation leader.
What activities did you participate in and outside of ASA during your time at UMM? writer/editor for the University Register, KUMM radio, ACM UMM Chapter (Computer Science); in ASA I helped out with the annual talent show by being an MC (very fun), by taking part in Taste of Asia cultural events, and I took part in the Harvard Asian American conference in the Boston area.
Do you have any advice for current/future ASA students who come to UMM-Morris, MN?If you’re not from a small town don’t be too deterred by rural Minnesota. Morris has a strong sense of community and people are willing to help you out when you’re in need.
What's life like after UMM for you; what do you do now (eg. family, job, etc...) that your experience in ASA/UMM is helping you do right now? I completed a master’s degree after graduation and now I work in usability/software engineering. I hope to go back for more school in the future. I enjoy learning thanks to my foundations at UMM.
Other ASA Alumns
Lue Her, UMM Class 97', who went to California for the Coro Fellowship leadership program
Below are separte student organization's I was involved in when I attended UMM from 1995-1999. I met many diverse people in UMM when I got involved with different student organizations (culturally, religiously, etc..) Sadly to say, it does appear these links I set up are segregated. Explanation down below.....
*Note: I'm not intentionally segregating each race. I'm actually distinguishing each student organization I was involved in with each former alumn's experience (each has a different question as each member came from a different background and went through a different experience here at UMM) with each organization. God has opened my eyes when I was an "involved" student at UMM and continues to do so after living here. Getting involved with various student organizations was a time of searching my identity, which I found it-in Christ-one of many God's children I think that is why it's been hard to leave "Motown"!
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