Linda Kue Aroonsavath, a Transitional Advisor for Madison Area Technical College (MATC) in Madison, Wisconsin is our newest member of the Wisconsin Hmong Mental Health Professional Group. She is a native of Madison, lived in Texas for 15 years and then Chicago-area for 5 years; but is enthusiastic to be back home. She recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with her Masters of Science in Counseling. Her studies have been in the field of Community and College Counseling. She will begin her doctoral studies in September 2007 with the Department of Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Currently, Linda is working with racial/ethnic minority students who are attending ESL, GED/HSED, or Adult Basic Education courses at MATC. She provides support for these students by assisting them with short and long term planning and developing strategies to sustain their journey to success. She is also dedicated to retaining her students from the transition into college programs thru graduation.

In addition to her work at MATC, Linda is passionate about understanding the challenges Hmong students encounter while working towards their educational goals. Her specialty involves working with students to embrace their cultural differences while overcoming barriers to become successful students. She quoted, “Should we struggle because we are cultural beings, trying to juggle between multiple cultures, or should we embrace our individual cultures as we are encountered with these differences?” Furthermore, Linda is interested in studying the impact of intergenerational family conflicts on Hmong college students’ adjustment to college, and how they are coping with their family differences. Her work also includes understanding the dynamics of Hmong families and the affects of one family member’s mental health on the whole system.

In addition to her roles as a Transitional Advisor and Doctoral Student, she is a wife and mother of two. With her own experiences of the daily challenges that may affect her ability to be a successful college student, she is sensitive and aware of the multiple roles Hmong students may have, which continues to motivate her in helping students achieve their goals.

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
-Dale Carnegie