Hello Concord family,

I hope everyone has been doing well. This month has been going great and very busy.

I am in my sixth week of college and so far I am enjoying my time here. I am spending a lot of my time on campus studying and relaxing. Things are back to normal in college except about wearing masks. When I’m on campus at the library I spend my time in these pods we have from the University. The pods are like individuals pods where you can go in to study, eat or do whatever. It’s nice because you don’t need to distance yourself from other people and it also has a air vent inside. The pods are distrubute throughout almost every buildings.

My classes so far has been going well. I took my first exam for one of my Anthropology and Math course. Before taking an exam, I had a quiz in lab for Anthropology, which didn’t go well. My class and I took the quiz in a way where I have never experinced before. Since the quiz was on bones of a skull, each part was passed around in a circle and then you have to identify which part of the bone is called. It was interesting because I’m being quized something phsycially in front of me and not in my head. I Learned a lot about evolution, genetic drift, ponnet squares and natural selections. A lot of what were learning reminded me of Biology when I took my first year. My Math exam went well, but I was really nervous and anxious as I am not good at math. I was afraid I’ll do bad, but I did it with confidence and hoped for the best. I have great proffesors and teaching assistants this year, so I’m not too worried.

Guess what week it is this week? It is homecoming week! Within this week, there has been a lot of events going on. Every year I would pariticpate and especially in an event called Lip Synch. Sadly with my school schedule, I am not participating for this year Homecoming events. Although, I will be there to support friends who are participating. An exciting news is I am a new member of a student organization! We are hosting our first workshop next week to talk about nutrition, dieting, workouts and goals. Our student organization focuses on Asian American fitness and wellness. I am excited to what our guest speakers will bring to the table next week.

Continue to keep yourself safe, and healthy. I will update you guys soon! Take care.

-Keng Thao

Hello Concord family,

I hope everyone has been doing well. I can’t believe that August is already almost over! I’ve been so busy and occupied that I didn’t even noticed time was going by so fast. I still can’t find myself being a third year student yet. Maybe it’s because I didn’t get to fully experince my second year before Covid hit.With that being said, school has started and I am into my second week of the semester.

First week of the semester was pretty hectic. I had to find courses that weren’t filled, also courses that doesn’t collide with each other. I originally registered a credit course that involves learning ball games and tactics, but ended up dropping it. During the first week we are allowed to witdrawl up until the deadline given. I dropped the course because it just didn’t interest me enough to stay. I replace the course with a Anthropology course which is also a class I needed and worked perfectly with my schedule. Currently I’m taking a evening course which gets very tiring and hard to stay awake sometimes. After figuring out my schedule, classes and stuff, I was able to settle down. I’m hoping this semester will go well.

On campus everything is back to normal except having to wear masks and keeping a distance. It’s been going well during the second week of school. Slowly adjusting to school again after online class for so long. Alot of events are back to normal, so is our homecoming week. So far this week, I attended and met alot of new people at one of the general meeting for a student organization club. Surprisingly there were more people who attended this year compared to last year! It was great seeing new faces and old faces. Just recently I got recruited to be a board memeber for a student organization club. I got refered by a friend who think I’ll be a great person to be part of the team. That’s exciting!

I’m excited to what this week brings. Classes are finally starting where were no longer doing introductions or ice breakers. I hope to manage my time well and be more successful this school year. I will keep you guys updated, so please take care and remember to keep yourself safe and healthy. Until next time!

-Keng Thao

Hello Concord Family,

I hope everyone is doing well and having a great summer. July is already coming to an end! My summer has been so busy and productive that it made things went by quickly. I have some great news that I would like to share about what happened during the summer.

I want to say Congratulation to Sunisa Lee! As a Hmong American, I am proud to see one of our people accomplish something for the first time no one else has done or gotten to before. I’m a big fan of Sunisa and the Olympics, which made it enjoybale to watch.

Now, onto the exciting news. I had just finished my summer courses and passed with good grades. I was able to bump up my grade point average (GPA), also passed a course I failed during my first semester. It was difficult, frustrating, and stressful to the point where I wanted to give up. Instead I pushed through and kept going. I’m glad that there were people there to remind me about the things I’m capable of. I learned a lot of new things about myself everyday and always improving to become better. Before a new semester starts and before summer offically end, I am going on a trip.

This upcoming month I am going on a trip to North Dakota as I mentioned on my last month post. I’m excited as the date is getting closer. I hope that with this trip I can get to relax and ease my mind before the semester starts. This time not everyone is able to go, like the last time. Only a few of us in my family are able to make it on the trip and spend quality time together. There’s always next time.

With the new school year coming up, I finished registering for a few classes. I am also thinking about chaning my minor to something different. I took alot of course that would benefit me to finishing and getting the credits I need to graduate. I’m excited, yet nervous to how school will be like back on campus. It has been a long time since classes was held in person. I look forward to what bring us this year.

Stay tune, and I will update on my trip and more exciting news on the way.

-Keng Thao

Hello Concord Family,

Likewise, I hope everyone is doing well and in good health. It’s been nearly a month since I finished my spring semester. Fall semester is just right around the corner. Everything is moving quicker than I thought. It’s like I haven’t got time to catch my breath yet. Currently I am taking two summer courses. To move further into upper classes in the Fall I have to finish taking these classes so I can be prepared next year. So far I’m onto my second week and it’s been great.

Since Summer school has already started and with not much free time, I started learning how to drive! Driving is scary for me and I have a lot of anxiety, but I pulled through it and was able to work on my turns. There are a lot of roundabouts here which I get nervous when to go. I had my friend encouraged me in the car with me which I was able to go pass two roundabouts. That’s something to be proud of and an accomplishment. I had my friends and family to help me so that is really nice of them. I hope to get better and be a safe driver as I practice more and more over time.

Awhile back I went to North Dakota with my family. My family and friends planned another trip to go back. It’s been forever since me and my family ever went out for family camping trips and spending time together. The only thing I hate about it is the long car rides. I can’t stand being in the car for so long because it gets uncomfortable and I get car sick. At the end it’s worth it though I’ll say. The trip won’t happen until August. As that is coming up, I also have other events that are getting close too. Despite being busy with summer school, I will make the best out of my Summer.

The weather is getting hotter so I hope everyone is hydrated and taking good care. This is all for now, I will update you guys soon. Have a great Summer!

-Keng Thao

Hello Concord Family,

I hope everyone has been doing well. School has been over for a few weeks now and it really has been a stressful year. So far I have been planning out my plans for the Fall and deciding to go for Summer school. I’ve been meeting with an advisor talking about courses, grades and credits. We also talked about my minor. It was suggest that I should change it and continue on a different path. I’m taking online courses since there aren’t any in person classes yet until Fall, so that’s a bonus. Whats new? Just a few weeks ago I got out of my workplace. It was a great experience working in a total new environment for the first time. I miss my coworkers and managers, who are kind and caring people. Something fun I did was camping! My family and I went camping in North Dakota. My first time camping in 3 years. I bought my first fishing license. The weather was really Bi polar. It was windy most of the times being there, but it was also hot on some parts the day. I had really bad windburned which I am still healing and recovering from.

Exciting news for Fall is I am moving out with my sister again during the Fall. She is going back for Grad school. We both lived together and shared room my first year and will be sharing room again this year. On Saturday me and my family celebrated my little brother’s birthday! I’m barely home and don’t have enough time to see him, but time has fly by so fast that he is almost tall as me! For the first time in his life, I was able to give him a birthday present which was something I’m proud of as his older brother.

So far I am having a great time with my family this year and just relaxing back before school starts again. I hope that everyone has been taking good care and in good health. With more exciting news and events coming up, I will be updating on the next month blog post. Stay tuned! Happy Memorial Day.

-Keng Thao

Hello Concord Family,

I hope everyone has been doing well. With April coming to an end, my Sophomore year is almost over! It has been a long, and rough year, but like always we managed through and finished up until the very end. I struggled a lot these past couple of months, and I couldn’t have done it without my friends, family and peers.

Throughout this semester, not being able to go back on campus and being at home has been difficult. Being at home in the cities for the last past few months was a big challenge, especially I can’t focus due to the environment. One of the class I took the beginning of the semester, I decided to withdraw from. It was a tough decision, but I felt like It was the right thing to do. I was able to see a lot of growth within myself in that class and I know I will come back to finish the course stronger another year. I only have one class left that is still on going. I am preparing for an exam and final exam. I am really nervous as I want to do well and finish strong without any regret or guilt towards myself. I have been coping with stress pretty well lately, but its an endless stressing journey. Whenever I find a way to stop stressing, there’s another one crawling it’s way in.

Apart from School, I recently just go my second dose of the Covid vaccine. It’s a lot more painful from the first one, but I seemed to handle it pretty well which was surprising. It does get really sore on the arm though. Also, I am getting my wisdom teeth taken out on Monday! It took three months to schedule an appointment due to the pandemic. Sadly my appointment is the same day as my exams. I am nervous as I’ve never been put under anesthesia before. Hopefully the surgery goes well. Another news is I am quitting my workplace soon. Once I put in my two week notice, I’ll be leaving. Although I’ve only work there 3 months, I’ve learnt a lot and gain new experiences.Working inside a department store was a first time experience for me. I learned how to pack produce, label and stock. One of my most favorite thing to do there is welcoming customers. It’s even better when they say hello back.

I hope that everyone is continuing to wear their mask, and staying healthy. For those who are finishing their semester still, I wish them good luck. I will update you guys soon. Take care!

-Keng Thao

Hello Concord Family,

I hope everyone has been well. Today is the last day of March! We made it past another month and that is a big accomplishment.

March has been the most struggling and busiest month for me this year. I’ve been working 4 days a week at the new job I got hired last month. I struggled a lot at first the first two weeks, but know I’m adjusting and getting used to the work they do there. I mostly closed, which means I work about 7 hours and get off at 10. It’s my first job working indoors and a new experience, so It’ll be all worth it at the end!

Lately, I’ve been collecting poem books. I mainly buy them at Barnes and Noble or if they are out of stock, I try to order them online. Writing poetries has been something I’ve done a lot over the past few years, and ever since last year I have stopped writing. I found myself not having the motivation anymore and I have had others I shouldn’t stop because they loved my work. From reading other poetries book, I hope I’ll be able to get back on my feet with writing poetries.

With that being said, we’re almost at the end of the school year. It hasn’t been long since February was over. Time is really going by fast and faster, especially when you’re so busy and occupied. I’ve been lacking with time management so far and I need to find a way to fix that. Exams are coming up and deadlines to withdraw from classes are also coming up soon. I’m doing well in my Psych classes, but still struggling with Math as usual. I hope with the upcoming Math exam, I’m able to do well. Taking two Psych and one Anthropology class has been rough, especially when it comes to exams. A lot of memorizing and understanding of the materials. Even though it is hard, I pick up and learn a lot of interesting new things from the course. With my busy schedule with work, I hope I find a way to manage my schedule soon and do well on my exams.

With April coming up, I hope everyone continues to stay safe. I’ll update you guys next time. Take care and have a great last day of March!

-Keng Thao

Hello Concord Family,

Likewise, I hope everyone is doing well and taking good care. February is almost over and can’t believe it’ll be March soon! Once again, It feels like time is going by fast. I felt like February didn’t start too long ago. With that being said, lets talk about how my month has been going!

So far throughout this month is has been relatively uneventful, although there are good news that I have received. I applied for a job last month and just a few days ago, they sent me an email schedule for an interview. A friend of mine works there and told me about it and recommend that I would be a great employee there. Throughout the Month of February, I have been busy making appointment schedule to take out my wisdom teeth which is no fun. Due to the pandemic still, it’s hard to schedule and that was frustrating.

Yesterday I experienced ice skating! For the first time I got the chance to do something that I’ve never done. I had such a fun time learning how to ice skate. Surprisingly, I didn’t fall at all when I got onto the ice rank. It was like my feet were telling me to glide and as though I knew what I was doing all along. After being nervous and scared for a few minutes, I took off and skated like it was never my first. That was also quite interesting for me.

Two weeks ago I took my first exam on math and honestly it went better than what I was expecting. For the first time in any of my Math course, I was able to score a higher score than my pervious last year. I was disappointed, but proud of myself for taking steps into improving my math skills. Along with math, I also took two other exams on my other course. They went well, and hoping to ace the next exam coming up soon next month. So far nothing new in school, other than studying, and doing homework assignments. I received a certificate for attending MavPass sessions, which are sessions that help me and students that needs more help in courses.

I am trying to study as much as possible before the next exam and still be on task with outside of school stuff, so it will be a busy month for me soon! I hope that you all will enjoy the last day of the month and I will update you guys soon! Take care and don’t forget to wear your mask!

-Keng Thao

Hello Concord Family,

I hope everyone is doing well and having a good new year so far.

I can’t believe it’s already 2021! I feel like I’m still in the year of 2020. It was another tough year for everyone I’m sure, but now I’m glad to say I made it to a new year. Sadly, I didn’t get to watch or see any fireworks during the count down, although I did heard a lot of fireworks that night. With that being said, new year, new semester! With the first semester over, I am now onto my second semester for this year. I will be in my fourth week of school. So far so good. Right now I am taking more credits and classes towards my major. I recently had just switched out my major so that’s exciting. I am taking a lot of Psychology courses which is interesting. I’m not sure where it will take me throughout this year, but I hope to gain a lot of experiences and knowledge.

Reflecting back last semester, I think I did better than what I expected and I am really proud of myself. I didn’t do well, but I can see that I did my very best and improved my grades more than what I had from last year. My professors so far has been really cool and chill! One of my professor humor really makes me enjoy learning in his class and I love how understanding he is. It’s almost like being a friend rather than a student.

Up until now, classes are still online, but recently our school color has moved to code yellow, which means organizations, students, and clubs can be on campus and gather for activities. Masks and social distance are still taking place, so that’s something to not be worried about. Students also get the choice to take class in person by majority votes from professors. Currently, I am taking two online courses which doesn’t need to be taken in person or meet on zoom, and the rest are highly on zoom or in person. With just the fourth week in of school, it has been really busy and hectic for me. During last week, I met up with my student organization and talked about what our plans were for this year. With the pandemic still around, it’s difficult for us to have new students on campus to participate especially if it’s online when our activities and such are held in person.

Besides school, I have been buying and reading poetry books a lot lately and writing more of my own. During my free time I’ve been finding new things to do and enjoy learning. Such as embroidery, sewing and photography. I’m at home a lot most of the time so I try to pick up things I can learn on my own and spare time.

With February coming up, I will update more on my next post. Take care Concord family and I will update you guys soon! Have a great rest of the month.

-Keng Thao

Hello Concord family,

I hope everyone had a good holiday. I spent time with my family during Christmas and it was so much fun! Our family don’t celebrate or come together as much, but this year we were able to do secret Santa and exchange gifts.

My first semester ended on a good note and I can say I’m proud of myself. It was tough finishing up until the end because with my in person classes, switched to online it was hard to adjust and learning became difficult to enjoy. Things to reflect on this semester is to prioritize my time more and less procrastination. There was one class I totally forgot I had and didn’t realize until I finished my other courses. It was quite disappointing, but something for me to know next time on doing a better job setting reminders for myself. Things I thought I did well this semester was advocating for myself. It’s something I always struggle with, and being able to do a lot of that this semester was an accomplishment. With the first semester over, I have already registered for new courses and was also able to switch my major. I’m hoping to gain new learning experiences and hopefully to retake courses that I weren’t able to pass over the summer.

With the new year coming up I hope to get my permit and be able to drive by the time its Summer. 2020 has been a rough year for everyone and I’m glad to make it this far. The new year is less than a day away. I wish everyone safe and Happy new year! Take care and I will update next time!

-Keng Thao