Senior Spotlight: Cassie Xiong 

(May 5, 2020) -- Few Fresno State students have as broad a world view for helping others as graduating senior Kajai 'Cassie' Xiong from the Child and Family Science Department.

From study abroad experiences to comparison research related to Thai personal belief systems, Fresno State has helped her opened new doors both in the community and around the world.

The 4.0 student has also been a member of the Jordan College Honors Research Cohort and Human Development and Culture Research Lab and a highly-valued Instructional Student Assistant.

Read more about the Fresno native in this recent interview.

 

Q: What was your most memorable experience at Fresno State?

Xiong: "The study abroad trip allowed me to challenge myself and led to much self-growth and maturation. I also loved experiencing a new country all by myself and also having the chance to meet precious friends. I especially loved interacting with South African children. I was afraid that I would not be able to connect with them because of our cultural differences, but their welcoming arms took me by surprise. They loved me and called me “Pinky” due to my pink hair at the time. They made such a big difference in my life and allowed my personal life goals to be put in clearer perspective."    

Xiong: "My time there also taught me about society and the hard struggle for equality. I have never forgotten the emotions of rage and anger that I felt during my stay there, and I strive to be able to educate others about the true power of privilege and oppression that I saw with my own eyes. I heard each individual story that was filled with longing for something more, something better in their lives." 

 

Q: What were some of the ways your group made a difference on that trip last summer?

Xiong: "We assisted in a classroom and helped with teaching simple things like the alphabet, but most of all, we connected and bonded with the children to better understand their lived realities. We also helped the school build a community vegetable garden to better provide for students. I personally gained a love for travel and working with disadvantaged children. I did not want to come back to the States because I felt like there was still so much work left for me to do to help these children."

 

Q: Can you describe your research with Dr. Jessica McKenzie more in-depth?

Xiong: "My honors research study with her looked at globalization influences of Thai cultural values and found that collectivistic and individualistic values are not changed overnight. Instead, it's an internal negotiation to incorporate new values into a working cognitive structure of predominantly traditional values. I wasn't able to travel to Thailand, but Dr. McKenzie did. I took a portion of her work and worked on analyzing the data through an inductive thematic analysis."

Xiong: "I specifically analyzed adolescents and parents in Thailand and their moral and cultural values related to interracial marriage. I feel this is an important topic because much of research does not focus on the lives of minorities. This topic and focus group is important to me because I come from a similar background to  Thai adolescents. It was important to understand their moral implications amidst globalization in order to allow others like me to know that they are also being considered in research."

Xiong: "I also worked with Dr. McKenzie in the Human Development and Culture Research, in which we aim to understand minorities' lived experiences among topics such as globalization and cultural differences. I have previously worked on analyzing Thai adolescents' moral views of sex work in a past semester. This research project is being worked on for publication, and the manuscript is in preparation. In the lab this semester, we are analyzing bicultural adolescents (Hmong-American and Latino/a) and their perceived views on growing up bicultural in the Central Valley. I also observed a fifth-grade classroom to understand children's lived experiences and development (especially their identity formation)."

Xiong: "All of this research intrigues me and allows me to discover more about myself. As a minority, I have always struggled with trying to fit into categories that were not representative enough. I never felt included and therefore, I had to try to squeeze into categories (such as "Asian" over "Hmong") that didn't fully explain and account for who I was. Research allows me to represent myself and minorities. It gives me a voice, a feeling of power and strength that I have never experienced before. Hence, I want to continue to do research in order to give minorities a voice."

 

Q: What were some of the local community organizations you worked with and why did you select them?

Xiong: "I created a lot of great relationships with at-risk youth at the Boys and Girls Clubs. I have a deep care of the well-being for children from troubled backgrounds. I genuinely believe that children are our future, and deserve a fair chance at the same opportunities and resources. I myself was a child who lacked resources, so I know their difficulties better than many. Children are looking for their identity and when they do not have positive connections with peers or adults, it hinders them on a safe and successful path. I did my best to be their advocate and their supporter to let them know that they are not alone. There are many adults in this world who sincerely want them to succeed and do well in life."

Xiong: "I have volunteered with City Without Orphans a few times throughout my college career, and I absolutely loved it. I think this organization has a very important mission to educate and spread awareness about the needs of children in foster care and orphanages. This is such an important area, so I always feel thankful and fortunate when I am able to work with them. I especially love that this organization works with churches because I myself am Christian so overall, I feel like it’s a very good and effective organization."

Xiong: "I have also volunteered at the Millbrook Presbyterian Church and assisted with cooking and serving  meals to those in need. This experience made me feel a connection with my community. It gave me a different view on those less fortunate, and it has taught me to be thankful for what I have."

 

Q: What are your potential career plans after you get your degree? 

Xiong: "I would like to continue graduate school in cultural and behavioral studies. However, I would like to first build up my experience by teaching English as a second language abroad and exposing myself to different children of different ethnic backgrounds."

 

Q: You've accomplished quite a lot - who are some people that you would like to thank?

Xiong: "I would like to thank my parents who have always set education as the number one priority. My parents have never once restricted or discouraged my academic career, which has allowed me to succeed in my own educational goals."

Xiong: "Dr. (Katie) Dyer, our department chair, has had an immense role in my academic career. I have always been very thankful to her for inviting me to apply for the Jordan Honors Research Cohort. I became much more assertive and confident in my own abilities after joining this program. Her invitation changed my whole perspective and feelings toward university life for the better."

Xiong: "I also want to give a big, big thank you to my forever mentor, Dr. Jessica McKenzie. She has taken care of me and guided me not only academically but also mentally and emotionally. I am so grateful for all the valuable lessons I have learned from her."