Champlin Park Standout Student Aims To Leave Lasting Legacy
At Champlin Park High School, a celebration of diversity filled the auditorium on a Wednesday in early May.
The collection of performances was part of the school’s third annual Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Showcase organized by Champlin Park’s Hmong Club.
“When it is up there on stage, you’re kind of just proud, and you’re happy that it’s actually coming alive and you’re there seeing it,” said Kylie Her, a Champlin Park senior who helped organize the event.
The showcase was established as a way to honor the school’s Asian community and keep their cultural traditions alive.
“There’s a reason why these students here at Champlin come perform,” said Her. “And they want to showcase that it’s not dying. It’s still within our identity and in our culture.”
Champlin Park has nearly 3,000 students, 16 percent of whom are Asian. Her says it’s important for students to feel a sense of belonging in a school that big.
Students in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Showcase perform a dance routine at Champlin Park High School.
Hmong Club
Her found her niche with Hmong Club.
“[Hmong club] allows our students to be open and to feel safe in an area where we can embrace and welcome, you know, their ethnic cultures or their backgrounds, their identity of who they are,” she said.
The club’s adviser, Gaoly Her, praises Kylie’s leadership qualities.
“She paid attention to a lot of details, always offered me a lot of feedback, was just, she’s a go-getter,” said Gaoly Her, a Champlin Park teacher.
She’s a go-getter who made sure that Champlin Park’s Asian students had a platform to show off their culture. Her will graduate in a few weeks, but she hopes she’s left a lasting legacy with this showcase event.
“I hope that going on to the future that, you know, it can always be a trend that we keep here at Champlin Park High School,” she said.
This fall, Her will attend the University of Minnesota where she plans to major in computer science.
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Champlin Park High School
