Liana H’Yua Adrong ’16, ’21 MSW is executive director of the Greensboro’s Montagnard Dega Association and is chair of the Greensboro International Advisory committee.
“During the Vietnam War, my father, like many Montagnard men, worked with the U.S Special Forces, fighting for our freedom from Communism,” she explains. Once the war ended, her father was imprisoned in a re-education camp. In 1996, her family was granted refugee status to resettle to the U.S.
She was 13 when they arrived in Greensboro.
Now, she is passionate about today’s youth. As an undergraduate, she had helped create UNC Greensboro’s first Montagnard student group (Dr. Sharon Morrison was faculty advisor). More recently, she helped start the Montagnard American Organization, where youth can get together, help each other, and inspire one another, as they foster awareness of higher education and cultural preservation, she explains.
“We are ensuring that our youth have the help they need to break the cycle of poverty and thrive.”
By Mike Harris
Illustration by Antwain Hairston ’21