Zha Blong Xiong is an associate professor in the Department of Family Social Science in the

College of Education and Human Development The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) is one of seventeen colleges and professional schools at the University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the ...

at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, Twin Cities, USA. He specializes in adjustment of

adolescents Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

, parent/adolescent relationships in immigrant families, and parent education. In less than 20 years Xiong has gone from being a refugee who spoke no English to becoming the first Hmong tenured professor at the

and the first at a major research university in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Early life and education

Xiong was born in

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

. His family came to the United States as refugees, arriving in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in February 1982 when he was 15 years old. He had "very little formal education" prior to attending high school, first in Rosemount and then in

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

the following year, where he decided to start over, enrolling in 9th grade again.Zha Blong Xiong, First Hmong Professor to Receive Tenure
''Hmong Times'' (Minn.), June 9, 2006 After graduating from high school Xiong attended

Winona State University Winona State University (Winona) is a public university in Winona, Minnesota. It was founded as First State Normal School of Minnesota in 1858 and is the oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It was the first no ...

, earning a B.A. in psychology. He then attended the

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. T ...

, where he earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in family social science with a dissertation entitled "Hmong American Parent-Adolescent Problem-Solving Interactions: An Analytic Induction Analysis".

Honors & Awards

* 2011, Lee Knefelkamp Research Award, Minnesota College Personnel Association, Minnesota * 2014, Outstanding Leadership Award, Lao Family Foundation * 2017, Certificate of Outstanding Leadership, Hmong 18 Council, Inc. * 2017, Community Outreach and Engagement Faculty Award, College of Education and Human Development

References

Making an Impact: Zha Blong Xiong is a force within academia—and his Hmong community
American sociologists University of Minnesota faculty Winona State University alumni University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development alumni American people of Hmong descent Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-academic-bio-stub