RIB MOUNTAIN — Four finalists for the Stanley F. Staples Jr. Person of the Year Award were announced today.
Yengyee Lor, Yauo Yang, Mai Lee Kha and Mary Thao have been recognized for their contributions to the advancement of Hmong people in Marathon County; and one will be given the Person of the Year Award on April 6 at the Dream Big: 2016 banquet at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rib Mountain.
Thao has been recognized for her public service on the Wausau School Board and the Wausau City Council. Thao is a pioneer who has paved the way for Hmong people to be active in government and to give voice to the Hmong community.
Kha was raised in the small community of Birnamwood, Wisconsin, and now teaches students with disabilities in Edgar on behalf of the Marathon County Special Education Department. She has also taught English to first-generation Hmong adults and has led parenting classes developed to help parents support teenage children.
Lor is a management/leadership consultant with her own business, Faithful Consulting. Lor stands out for providing cost-free education, mentorship and coaching to Hmong people who could not afford these services, to advance their personal and professional lives.
Yang is an educator with the D.C. Everest Area School District; a pastor with a church he helped create — The Cross, which is the most racially/ethnically diverse church in Marathon County; and he is one of the co-founders of the Hmong Phoojywg Enrichment Program, a summer program to engage Hmong students in their culture.
You can register and buy tickets for the event here.
