Convocation: Kao Kalia Yang ’03

Kao Kalia Yang ’03 is a Minnesota writer with a story that stretches across the globe. The daughter of Hmong immigrants to Minnesota, Yang was born in a Thai refugee camp, Ban Vinai, in 1980. Her family came to Minnesota when she was seven. In her book, The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, Yang recounts her family's journey from Laos to Minnesota—from her parents' first encounter and unceremonious marriage in the jungles of Laos, to their harrowing escape into Thailand, and subsequent relocation to Minnesota. In The Latehomecomer, Yang struggles to feel a sense of home—new to Minnesota, and cultural heir to centuries of homelessness. Yang’s interest in writing arose from her struggle with speaking English. A graduate of Carleton College and Columbia University, Yang and her sister founded Words Wanted, a company dedicated to helping immigrants with writing, translating, and business services. The title of her presentation is "Returning To Our Stories."