Hnub Tshiab

On Friday, October 2, nearly 200 Hmong women and allies gathered for our gala, Living Our Dreams: Hmong Women Leading Across Industries, an evening celebrating the dreams, leadership, and accomplishments of Hmong women across generations. The evening brought together four inspiring Hmong women leaders, Catherine Yang, NouaChi Vang, Dr. Pakou Yang, and Dr. Shary Vang, for a conversation about leadership, identity, resilience, and what it means to build a life that is truly your own. Guided by...

Elizabeth describes her best life as one where she can use everything she has learned to build something meaningful for herself while contributing to the lives of others. We think Ilean would have understood that vision very well. The Live Your Best Life Grant was created because she believed that the dreams of Hmong women were worth investing in. And Elizabeth, your dream is worth investing in. In 2018, Elizabeth Lor was a shy young girl who wasn’t quite sure what leadership meant or what...

“To me, being a leader is being someone who can live their most genuine and authentic life. Through this, they can affect the people around them to do the same.” Nakita Vang has been selected as Hnub Tshiab’s 2026 Hmong Woman of the Year, recognizing her leadership, advocacy, and commitment to creating meaningful change for women and individuals in her community. For Nakita, however, leadership was not something she always understood. In fact, the first time she remembers hearing the words...