GVP Scholarship

This scholarship was donated by Chaleunsouk Vang and Dr. James Nhia Vang in loving memory of General Vang Pao.

Vang Pao was born on December 8th, 1929, to Neng Chue Vang and Sao Song Thao in Ha Ta Sheng, Laos close to the border of northeastern Laos and Vietnam.  He had eight sisters and two brothers.  Four sisters have survived, three of whom resides on the West Coast of the United States, and one in Minnesota.  Vang Pao’s father passed away in Laos in 1950 while his mother made the long journey from Laos to America and died in 1981.  She was put to rest in the state of Montana.  

According to the accounts of family members and elders who lived in the same village as Vang Pao, he was energetic and mischievous, with a mind of his own.  Vang Pao was not one to take directions well from his parents and elders.  As someone in the 1930s who had no desire to farm, he was in traditional Hmong agrarian society considered lazy and a failure.  

Faced with not knowing what to do with his troubled son, Vang Pao’s father decided to send him away from home to be schooled.  That would prove to be a pivotal point in Vang Pao’s life.  In school, his mind was finally challenged and he saw the world in front of him.  

Those who despised Vang Pao in his early years referred to him as “Pov Dag” (a failure).  Vang Pao would later prove many people wrong as he progress through his career.  Even today, these very same words echo in the Hmong Community and are used as a metaphor in reference to failure and success.  From an early age he had two things that were not taught to him it was charisma and a strong will – the will to want to improve the status quo at any cost.  

“Just look at Vang Pao,” said Yang Kong.  “He went from Pov Dag to general and eventually to Praya Noraparmork (a Royal Lao family title only reserved for dignitaries).  If Vang Pao can do it there’s hope that anybody can do it.”

“You can’t judge someone and rule them out as a success or failure until the very end in life,” said Noah Vang, “look at Vang Pao.  He struggled all throughout his life to the very end.  He had both failure and success all intertwined together.  But one thing remains – he never quiet and he remain true to his vision.  In the end he achieved the most out of all his family, villagers, classmates, colleagues, and all Hmong of his generation and time.”

“To all students out there,” said Dr. Paozeb Vang in a 1991 speech at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “remember if anybody should advice or tell you that you can’t do something, tell them yes you can! Just look at our father General Vang Pao.  He’s a living proof that you can achieve as much as you want, and that the sky is the limit.”

This Leadership Legacy Memorial Scholarship Fund was made possible by Chaleunsouk Vang and Dr. James Nhia Vang in loving memory of General Vang Pao.

This scholarship is presented by the Hmong American Education Fund.  The scholarship seeks to financially support a dedicated Hmong-American student in the pursuit of his or her higher educational goals.  The successful applicant will be awarded up to $1,000.00 to the choice of his or her college or university.