2024 Graduation at UW-Madison: And Still She Rises
Moo Ko Wah was born in the Tham Hin Refugee Camp in Thailand in 2002 and moved to Milwaukee when she was six-years-old.
by Jonathan Gramling
Moo Ko Wah, a graduating PEOPLE Scholar from UW-Madison, has faced many challenges in life, but has risen to the occasion each time to succeed at UW-Madison, always with a little help from her friends.
Wah was born in a Thai refugee camp.
“The one that I was born is called Tham Hin Refugee Camp, about 2-3 hours from the Bangkok area,” Wah said. “I was born there in 2002. I lived there for six years. And I moved to the U.S. in 2008 through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. We didn’t have any family members or sponsors. We were able to come to the U.S. through that program. We came to Milwaukee right away. My family came in 2008. I was six-years-old.”
Milwaukee is literally and figuratively half a world away from Milwaukee, especially culturally.
“It was very challenging, especially because we were very young,” Wah remembered. “My oldest sister was about 12-years-old. My second brother was 7-8-years-old. All of us were children. My parents did not speak any English. It was tough for them to find a job. It was tough for them to communicate with others and to find resources for us and enroll us in school. We did have some help from a case worker and the people who were assigned to us. But we were pretty much on our own. It was very tough, especially because we were young. We were kids and we couldn’t do anything to help out because all of us were new to the country. We lived on the north side of Milwaukee close to Marquette University. We were 10 minutes from Marquette University. We didn’t live in the best neighborhood and community, but it was affordable for us. My parents couldn’t find a high-paying job or anything like that. They took whatever they could, working at a low, minimum wage job. The north side was the most affordable place for us to find housing. We lived in the Galena Street area.”
Wah was enrolled in English as a Second Language classes and laughed when she recalled the first English words that she spoke.
“I was six-years-old and I was thirsty,” Wah recalled. “I raised my hand. I was thirsty and I didn’t know how to communicate or ask for water. My very first sentence of English was, ‘Can I go eat water.’ That was all that I could think. At home, I would speak my native language. And at school, I was learning English. Balancing those two was very difficult for me.”
And while Wah couldn’t work to earn money, it didn’t mean that she didn’t have a job.
“My parents didn’t know English,” Wah said. “I couldn’t practice my English at home. On top of that, I was learning English and translating for my parents when they would go to the bank to DMV and other places. It was difficult. I felt that I had to grow up early. I didn’t think that a 10-12-year-old kid would have to go with their parents to the bank to help translate. In terms of that, I had to learn quickly. My parents couldn’t depend on other people. My parents depended on my siblings and me. Still today, I still help them. I do less of that because I live away from home.”
Wah attended South Division High School and got involved in every pre-college program there was including College Possible, Gear Up and the Boys & Girls Club.
And most importantly, Wah joined the UW-Madison PEOPLE Program. It proved to be her life line as she entered UW-Madison in Fall 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was picking up steam.
“It was COVID and I had multiple mental breakdowns,” Wah admitted. “I remember my very first semester as a college student living in a dorm. All of my classes were virtual and they were on Zoom even though I was physically at UW-Madison living in the dorms. Most of my classes were virtual. And everything closed. There were no student organizations happening. It was very tough for me to find resources my very first semester. It was hard enough transitioning from high school to college. There was a lot of learning. But I found my way and I am very grateful and happy with the advisors who helped me through my freshman year because it was the toughest year for me. I would go to my PEOPLE advisor for my academic challenges or just having someone to talk to about what I was facing.”
And PEOPLE continued to be Wah’s lifeline.
“PEOPLE made a huge impact intellectually. Academically, as a first-generation student and at a university like UW-Madison where it is a predominately white institution, PEOPLE provided a community for me. It’s a space where I feel I belong. Without the PEOPLE Program, it would have been a very hard situation. It would have been hard for me to adapt to the environment and to find a community and to find a home away from home. Whenever I needed advice or words of encouragement or some motivation, they were always there to support me emotionally. And even though it was COVID and everything, they still supported me, emotionally and academically. They gave me resources I needed to succeed.”
Wah earned a degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a certificate in Asian American Studies through the School of Human Ecology. Her inspiration are the refugees who come after her.
“A course that I was in in high school, there were a lot of Karen refugees who lived in Milwaukee and didn’t attend higher education,” Wah said. “Most of them don’t continue because they are scared, nervous and afraid that they aren’t going to be able to make it because of the language barrier. Or they think that they aren’t smart enough. I want to change their perspective. You don’t have to be super smart to go to college. There are resources that will help you succeed. It’s just that you have to look for them. A lot of Karen people don’t continue on because they don’t know that there is support and resources that can help them. There is financial aid that is out there for them. I want to be a role model for them. We don’t have to be afraid. My motivation of continuing to go to college is because I want to set an example for the future generation of refugees, Karen American population.”
Wah did two internships while she was at UW-Madison that helped her select the course of her professional career.
“Last summer, I was an intern with a for-profit organization,” Wah said. “For my junior year fall semester, I was also an intern for the Literacy Network of Dane County. I was just exploring my options and to figure out if I was still for-profit or non-profit. I found out that I prefer non-profit. I wanted to do something in education. I have a passion wanting to encourage and be a role model for other first generation students or refugees. As a refugee myself and I am sure for other refugee and first gen students, I want to work with people who are in the same situation as me or have a similar background and just serve and support them in higher education.”
And so, after a summer stint at UW-Madison as an academic advisor, Wah will be headed back to Milwaukee.
“I will be working with Hmong American Peace Academy, the Hmong organization in Milwaukee public schools,” Wah said. “I will be working with Southeast Asian students and students who are refugees. I will be one of their college and career advisors. I will support them through the college application process and forms like FAFSA.”
Most importantly, Wah will be helping the students find their American Dreams.
“If other people can attend higher education and get a good education, we can also do that,” Wah emphasized. “That is my motivation. Also growing up in Milwaukee, it is tough. But you don’t have to stay there. With the power of education, we can help each other get out of poverty.”
Moo Ko Wah has dealt with multiple challenges in her life and has overcome them all with a little help from friends. Now it is her turn to help those coming behind her to find their American Dream.
