Nicholas Vang

If you and I ever have the pleasure to meet and get to know each other, it’ll be a fun time.

My name is Nicholas Vang I I am Hmong American. I am a currently a pre-business major, but will soon be business major with concentration in marketing. If you and I ever have the pleasure to meet and get to know each other, it’ll be a fun time. I love adventures! I am all about creating unforgettable experiences and addictive fun. People who’ve known me the longest will tell you that I’ve always been a naturally, very social and charismatic person. But there was a period where I lost a lot of my confidence. I was scared to display my authentic personality. I was afraid of taking an awesome opportunity because of being judged, disliked, laughed at or shamed. I later deeply regretting not doing it. It wasn’t until I forced myself through my sticking points and worked on personal growth that I rediscovered the person I’d lost.

I am the treasurer of the Zes Hmoob Club. My first year at SSU I knew I had to be a part of this club because I am Hmong. Our culture is very heavily based on community. And being away from home. I needed that home away from home. Zes Hmoob gave me that to me. We have an extremely small Hmong community here, but we are established. I hope to give that feeling to other Hmong students that come to Sonoma State.

Being away from my family and my furry son has probably been the biggest challenge for me. When I am not around them anymore, I began to really feel grateful about having a family who loves me unconditionally and is waiting for me to come visit. Creating amazing friendship at SSU helped me to cope with home sickness. I actually didn’t think I would catch it. But I guess am not as tough as I think I am.

I’ve had the pleasure to meet so many awesome friends through my lectures, classes, and labs that it’s crazy. We all have a similar goals and pain points that we all come together and help each other out. It was so effortless to make these friendships. It allowed everyone to collaborate, scream, yell, cry, and laugh all at the same time when together. It started off causal but soon they became a huge part of my success and happiness. I never thought I would have made such a strong connection with my classmates. The relationships I formed with these strangers in my classes were invaluable. The opportunities that I had the chance to be a part of were unforgettable experiences. Being a props man for an awesome drama in Ives Hall. PowerLines. I remember having to stay up all morning until midnight for several days and several weeks. It was definitely a fun time.