Metro Transit employees come from many cultures and backgrounds. To celebrate this diversity, employees who are proud to share their heritage and identity will be regularly featured on the Riders' Almanac blog. Read more stories here.
Please tell us a little bit your background
My parents are Hmong and escaped genocide in Laos in 1975. They lived in a refugee camp until 1985 and then had an opportunity to come here. Six years after arriving in Saint Paul, I was born. I’m the second youngest of ten children and am really proud of the fact that I was born and raised in Saint Paul.
How do you celebrate your Hmong culture today?
My parents always wanted me to learn Hmong culture. When I was 11, I learned to play the qeej, a Hmong instrument we believe helps guide spirits back to the afterlife. In the past, I taught youth at the Hmong Cultural Center how to play and performed at funerals. Today, my four-year-old son has a smaller version and is learning to play. I can also read, write, and speak Hmong, which isn’t very common for people my age. And I’m on the board of the Yang clan, serving as treasurer and youth coordinator.
How did you get into law enforcement?
My uncle was a Community Liaison Officer for the Saint Paul Police Department and he’d often come check on us when I was growing up. Over time, that helped my parents get over the distrust they had for police based on past experiences. Later in life, I became a Ramsey County Correctional Officer. I started as a Metro Transit police officer in 2015, after meeting a few police officers at a career fair. Here, I’ve continued to focus on youth engagement, working on Saint Paul’s East Side, where I grew up, and on the downtown Saint Paul beat. I joined the K-9 Unit in 2021 and was recently promoted to sergeant.
How do you your professional life and your culture intersect?
For the past year, I’ve served as the president of the Minnesota Asian Peace Officers Association. I joined the group in 2014 as a student, which opened a lot of doors for me. In my role, I continue to try to bridge the gap between the Asian community and law enforcement and to encourage people to enter the field. For many years, the association has also organized a holiday event to support families in need. I grew up in poverty, living in public housing and remembering my parents going to Salvation Army to get gifts. So, it’s really important to me to give back and focus on people who need some holiday spirit.
Watch 3HMONGTV’s coverage of the 2022 Glow of Hope event
Learn more about the Minnesota Asian Peace Officers Association
Learn more about career opportunities at the Metro Transit Police Department