Blia Yang
- Stevens Point, Wis.
- Bachelor of science degree in nursing, Spanish for health professions minor
- What's next: Taking registered nurse licensure exam, seeking employment as a registered nurse in the Eau Claire area
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UW-Eau Claire photo by Bill Hoepner |
Blia Yang is the fourth of 12 siblings born to Hmong parents with limited knowledge of English, and for years she was a caregiver for her younger brother, who had severe disabilities. Those experiences led her to seek a career path in which she can help others through challenges similar to those her family has faced.
Yang would not have predicted several years ago that in December 2008 she'd be graduating from UW-Eau Claire with a nursing degree. In fact, during her freshman year she attended another university, where she planned to major in business and then go on to law school. That plan changed, however, after she realized she was not enjoying her business classes.
"I talked to my parents about other career paths I could take, and they told me to think about the health care field, since I had a disabled brother whom I took care of for most of his life," Yang said.
She heeded her parents' advice and enrolled at UW-Eau Claire because of its nursing program. Yang's new plan turned out to be the right one for her.
"Throughout nursing school and my clinical experiences, I have realized that nursing is the perfect profession for me, and I am thankful for my brother showing me the way," she said.
To complement her nursing degree, Yang chose to pursue a minor in Spanish for health professions and participate in a summer study-abroad program in Costa Rica. Those choices were made, she said, in light of the growing Hispanic population in the United States and her desire to better serve people of another culture in the health care setting.
After watching her parents struggle to communicate with health care providers, Yang is determined to prevent others from facing similar challenges due to cultural barriers: "Being trilingual (English, Hmong and Spanish), I can be of more help to my own family and the Hispanic patients I may encounter in the health care setting."
More on Blia Yang
Future plans: My immediate plans after graduation are to study for (and pass!) my registered nurse licensure exam and to obtain a registered nursing job in the Eau Claire area, supporting my husband as he finishes school. After a few years of work experience (and after my husband graduates), I would like to go on to graduate school to obtain my master’s degree and/or doctorate in nursing practice, specializing in children with special needs. My passion is to work with the pediatric population, especially those with special needs.
Unique aspects of her UW-Eau Claire experience: I actually did not start off at UW-Eau Claire. I attended Marquette University in Milwaukee my freshman year and transferred to UW-Eau Claire my sophomore year. I did not even major in nursing while at Marquette. I was actually a business major, intending to go to law school afterward. However, after my first semester of taking business classes I did not enjoy them as much as I thought I would.
My little brother, Josh, was the reason I decided to go into nursing. He had epilepsy, cerebral palsy and severe cognitive disabilities that left him with limited mobility and an inability to communicate. I helped my parents raise him since he was a baby, and during my summers while in college I provided respite care for him. (I’m the fourth oldest of 12 children, hence the need to help my parents with my younger siblings.) Josh was the reason I decided to transfer to UW-Eau Claire (due to its nursing program) and pursue nursing.
During the summer of 2007, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica. I was able to practice and utilize my Spanish skills, learn more about the country's Hispanic culture, as well as increase my nursing knowledge. While in Costa Rica I also was able to see how a national health care system works and how there are pros and cons to every health care system. With a national health care system, every person is able to receive care; however, there are waiting lists for operations. Appointments are made months in advance as well. With the waiting lists, some patients pass away before they are able to receive their operations. I was able to see how the health care institutions in Costa Rica operated in comparison to those of the United States.
I decided to pursue a Spanish-for-health-professions minor because of the growing U.S. Hispanic population and my interest in bridging cultural differences. Also, my decision had to do with the struggles my parents and my family went through with the health care system. My parents did not understand a lot of English, and it was hard for them to see health care providers due to the language barrier. Sometimes it was hard to find an interpreter for them as well. Their experiences have led me to take Spanish courses all through junior and senior high school and college to help me learn about the Hispanic culture, beliefs and practices so that one day I can help others in ways that my parents weren’t helped. Throughout nursing school, I have been taught to be culturally competent when caring for patients of different backgrounds than what I am used to. I feel my own cultural background and my Spanish education will help me in doing so.
Being a nontraditional student halfway through my college education has been quite the experience as well. I got married with a year and a half left of school. Being a student, wife, daughter and daughter-in-law all at the same time has been hard and had its challenges, but I believe it helped me in managing my time better. I had to balance my time to get everything done for school and for my families. Also, I had to learn to really prioritize and keep to my schedule.
What she liked most about her UW-Eau Claire experience:
- The size of my nursing class — it allowed me to get to know my classmates better.
- The good friends I made and whom I know I will be friends with even after graduation.
- My nursing instructors — they are very understanding and are willing to work with you through personal and/or academic situations.
Highlights of life at UW-Eau Claire:
- Being a peer health educator on the Student Wellness Advocacy Team (the SWATeam) — we educate the campus community on a variety of health topics through presentations, programs and events held on campus throughout the school year.
- Being a student employee at Student Health Service and getting to know the wonderful staff there.
- Studying abroad in Costa Rica.
- My summer internship at Midelfort Clinic, where I was a family medicine nurse intern.
- Getting accepted into the nursing program!
- My membership in Mortar Board Gold Caps Honor Society and the activities we participated in.
Proudest college accomplishments:
- Getting accepted into the nursing program, because it is such a competitive program to get into.
- Graduation! Being the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college means a lot to my family and me. But I couldn’t have done it without the love and support of my husband, family, friends and professors who helped me get through the program, especially during the death of my little brother, Josh, this last semester of school. I am sad that he couldn’t be here to see me graduate since he was my reason for pursing nursing, but I know that he is watching over me and is proud of my accomplishment.
Advice for incoming students:
- Use a planner! It's very helpful with organization — I couldn’t have done it without one!
- Be open minded and allow yourself to experience new things.
- Do not be afraid to ask for help — professors are very approachable and like it when students seek help.
Learn about other featured December 2008 graduates
