[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 13, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E616-E617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO NOU KA YANG

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BRUCE F. VENTO

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 13, 1999

  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit for the Record this 
article from the March 21, 1999 edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. 
This article tells the extraordinary story of a St. Paul teenager who 
has been rewarded for her perseverance and dedication to her community.
  Ms. Nou Ka Yang received the honor of being named The Boys and Girls 
Club Youth of the Year for the state of Minnesota. Ms. Yang has 
triumphed over the devastating circumstances of losing her father at 
the age of eight after spending time in a Laos Hmong refugee camp. She 
is currently a high school senior at Como Park High School where she is 
an honor student. She has maintained a 3.5 GPA and continues to support 
her community by doing activities such as translating for other Hmong 
residents who do not speak English.
  The Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year Award is a high honor that 
recently received the support of renowned talk show host Oprah Winfrey. 
The winners are chosen based on their leadership qualities, academic 
success, and ability to overcome obstacles. These are all qualities 
that Ms. Yang and the other candidates exhibit. Having youth in our 
communities with such promise allows me to feel comfortable about the 
future of our country.

[[Page E617]]

  Each state finalist receives a $25,000 scholarship and proceeds to 
the regional level where they compete for additional scholarship 
monies. I wish Ms. Yang luck as she proceeds to the next level. I know 
that she will represent the Fourth District and the State of Minnesota 
well.

           [From the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Mar. 21, 1999]

          St. Paul Teen-ager Awarded $25,000 Oprah Scholarship

                             (By Nancy Ngo)

       A St. Paul high school senior has won the Boys and Girls 
     Club Youth of the Year award, good for a $25,000 Oprah 
     Winfrey Scholarship for college education.
       Nou Ka Yang, 18, a senior at Como Park High School, took 
     top honors in the annual state competition that started in 
     1947. Until the nonprofit service club joined forces with the 
     television celebrity last year, however, no cash prize was 
     given.
       Yang was chosen Saturday after interviews with judges at 
     the Radisson Hotel St. Paul. She competed against three 
     candidates from the Minneapolis, Duluth and St. Cloud youth 
     clubs.
       The Oprah scholarships were established by the entertainer 
     to help children who otherwise might not be able to afford 
     college. The Boys and Girls Club, which emphasizes working 
     with underprivileged youth, was chosen by Winfrey because of 
     its national work, said Marie Grimm, communications director 
     of the St. Paul Boys and Girls Club.
       Winners from all 50 states receive a $25,000 scholarship. 
     Yang now advances to the regional competition with prospects 
     of winning an additional $8,000.
       Yang plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-River 
     Falls, an option she doubts would have been possible had she 
     not won. She wants to be a computer animator.
       She was chosen for her leadership qualities, academic 
     success and abilities to overcome obstacles. Yang, a Laotian 
     Hmong refugee, arrived in the United States from a refugee 
     camp in Thailand when she was 8 years old. She said her 
     father was killed after returning to Laos from the refugee 
     camp.
       Yang has four brothers and two sisters. She said she often 
     is busy helping her mother with household chores, as well as 
     taking care of her younger siblings.
       Her demanding home life has not prevented her from becoming 
     an excellent student. She ended her junior year with a grade 
     point average of 3.5 Yang has been a member of the Boys and 
     Girls Club for five years and is active at the organization's 
     Mt. Airy public-housing complex location in St. Paul.
       ``She's an extremely hard worker,'' said George Latimer, 
     former St. Paul mayor, who was one of the judges. He said he 
     was impressed with Yang's ability to balance home and school 
     tasks. Yang also contributes to her community in activities 
     such as translating for Hmong residents who do not speak 
     English, he added.
       Yang sings in a church choir and is on the St. Paul Housing 
     Authority's teen council, among other activities.
       The other candidates for the youth award were Charles 
     Adams, a senior at North High School in Minneapolis; Trena 
     Ackerman, a sophomore at Deerfield High School in Duluth; and 
     Tiffany Cherne, a sophomore at Apollo High School in St. 
     Cloud.
       The Boys and Girls Club is a nonprofit organization for 
     children ages 6 to 10. There are six Boys and Girls Clubs in 
     Minnesota: St. Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth, St. Cloud, Mille 
     Lacs and Detroit Lakes. The clubs have drug-and-alcohol 
     prevention programs, sports and social activities and offer 
     career-education information.

     

                          ____________________