SHE Pab Makes Comeback with Hmong New Year Celebration

By Ilwad Salex

The diversity at St. Kate’s is something to appreciate and celebrate as much as we can. With different cultures present on campus, we’ve been able to learn more and be surrounded by the students who make these cultures heard. One club we have here that does exactly that is SHE Pab, a club focused on supporting the Hmong students here! I had the chance to speak to Gao Sheng Yang ‘24 (Applied Science and Psychology, Pre-Public Health). She is the Co-Public Relations Officer of the club and is also involved in many other aspects of the community.

SHE Pab’s focus has been giving support to Hmong women, but that doesn’t mean no one else can join. Everyone is welcome to join their events and join in on the fun.

The club wasn’t always active—during the pandemic, it fell victim to the hardships of the broken social state that Covid created. “It was hard for students to be able to connect with others when the main concern at the time was Covid,” Yang said. “It was hard to make things virtual too.” They weren’t alone—many other companies, organizations and clubs around the world suffered from the same problems. “While I was not here, the loss of the sisterhood was felt,” Yang added. So, how did SHE Pab survive? Well, thanks to some dedicated and determined St. Kate students, it was brought back to life. And the club is bigger than ever.

SHE Pab this semester was able to bring some fun to the students in the club. One of their biggest achievements yet is their Hmong New Year event that took place on Dec. 3 in the ballroom on the third floor of the Coeur de Catherine. “It’s a big event, and a big celebration for the Hmong people,” Yang said. “It’s the end of the harvest seasons and also a time to honor our ancestors and families. At the event we’ll be having traditional Hmong dancers, Hmong local artists, guest speakers from St. Kate’s, as well as the co-founder of SHE Pab. It’s important because SHE Pab hasn’t had a Hmong New Year for around 10 years. It’s been a while. It took a lot of planning and thinking to make this event come to life. We all at the club saw the benefits of this and wanted to do this too.”

SHE Pab’s board members via @stkatesshepab on Instagram

As it turns out, it wasn’t just the club members that wanted this—there has been great demand and positive responses to the event. “The school being able to have something like this is something I’ve appreciated a lot,” said Pang Vang ‘26 (Undecided). “I’m excited to attend!”

SHE Pab and St. Kate’s Hmong students are ready to do great things. After a strong comeback from Covid, it’ll be exciting to see what they do next year.