Lily Chang

“If somebody were to open their arms and put a hug around a whole room—that’s completely what she brings,” says Santy Gray of her friend and coworker Lily Chang.

The daughter of Hmong refugees, Lily grew up with an awareness of the barriers her parents courageously overcame. Joining those forced to flee from Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and China due to political persecution in the wake of the Vietnam War (Hmong American Center) and the Secret War in Laos (CNN), Lily’s parents faced education, language and financial hurdles upon arriving in the United States. Shaken by the violence in their home countries and grieving the loss of homes, friends and family, many Hmong families bravely forged new livelihoods in their adopted country. For Lily’s parents, that meant pouring themselves into their children’s education. Lily says her parents “really wanted us to chase our dreams. I didn’t ever feel like I was ever put in a box; I could be anything I wanted to be in the world.”

Today, Lily works as the coordinator of continuous improvement at Butte County Office of Education. Her day-to-day tasks include training educators in restorative practices, social-emotional learning and other initiatives promoting racial equity and special education. In the words of her friend and colleague Sandra Azevedo, the role allows Lily to “be a strong, powerful, positive advocate for students who have been historically marginalized”—including the Hmong people. Lily has supported the development of the Hmong Model Curriculum, which schools throughout California will be able to access to discover the heritage, culture and contributions of Hmong people in the United States and around the world. She recently received the Diane L. Brooks statewide award for her work on this curriculum.

Advocating for Youth and Creating Opportunity

Before joining BCOE, Lily worked as a special education teacher, followed by a time as a district equity teacher in Minnesota. Sandra says, “Any chance she can get, Lily advocates for youth voice and creates opportunities for them to speak. Lily is taking a real leadership role in supporting education and change. She’s so positive and inclusive.” Santy likewise describes Lily as “progressive and innovative,” skilled at taking state requirements and catering them to best benefit the local community.

To keep a pulse on what North State kids and families need, Lily takes every opportunity to visit classrooms and interact with students. “That keeps me centered in my work,” she says. “Sometimes I feel like we’re so far removed from the kids, and it gets challenging at times, so I make an effort to visit school sites to keep me grounded.”

Faith, Family, Community and Connecting with Others

Sandra says Lily “has a strong faith, and that’s a big part of her identity and the driver of what she does. It’s reflected in her kindness, and all the volunteer work she does.” Lily and her husband have spent several summers with their daughter and two sons – now 18, 16 and 15 — volunteering at camps and events. Lily serves as a church clerk, board member, and regular guest speaker at the Oroville Hmong Seventh-Day Adventist Church. She recalls growing up with “an amazing church that really wrapped their arms around our family” as her parents navigated their new country. The support of her faith family helped Lily grow the confidence and courage that continue to characterize her today.

“Over the past year or so,” Lily says, “I have been thinking a lot about my ‘why.’” She sums it up this way: “To connect with others and help foster a sense of belonging to give meaning and richness to life. This is what drives me to do what I do, whether it’s professionally or personally in my life.”

Lily reminds those looking to foster belonging in their own communities that we are individuals contributing to a community, even if it’s in a small way. She recalls directing her children’s craft time to make cards for residents of a care home. “It’s just simple things that kids already love to do,” she says, “It keeps them busy, but they also feel so proud they can make someone smile.” Ever mindful of the marginalized, Lily also offers this encouragement: “Sometimes we feel like we’re not cut out for this or we’re not good enough. But it takes a village to raise the kids in our community. Whatever talent you have, whatever passion you have, bring it! Bring it to the community and use it toward good because you never know the impact.”