Once again here at Hmoodle we struck gold with this month’s Girl Next Door. I had the treat of meeting and hanging out with Plia Vang at the Hmoodle photo shoot. This twenty-one year old stunner was a bit shy at first, but she sure did come out of her shell. We all had a great time with the shoot with her sister Xeng giving us all a lesson on model posing.

This was Plia’s first time participating in a photo shoot like this, but you wouldn’t have known it by the way she performed. She was a natural and a pleasure to work with. Her dazzling features will win any guy over. We here at Hmoodle hope this is just the stepping stone for Plia and her modeling career.

After the shoot, I sat down and talked with Plia about a variety of things.

Hmoodle:  Alright, so you’ve finished your very first photo shoot. Is this something you would like to pursue in the future?

Plia:  I would love to. I found that I actually liked it and it was fun to do. You guys are very cool and I enjoyed working with you guys.

Hmoodle:  Was it harder than you thought it would be?

Plia:  The hardest part was posing for the camera. It’s a work out. Having tons of photos taken of you is a lot more work than I anticipated. The posing got difficult in some cases. Like the pose my sister Xeng was trying to teach me to do. (laughs) See, it still makes me laugh.

Hmoodle:  What part of the shoot did you enjoy the most?

Plia:  The best part I enjoyed was working with you guys. I love fashion. So wearing clothes for the camera was awesome. To be honest, I loved every part of it. It was so much fun.

Hmoodle:  Any advice you can give to our future girls that haven’t participated in a photo shoot like this before?

Plia:  Girls, it never hurts to try something new. I always get so nervous in pictures, on stage, and other things, but when you get out there…it’s a fantastic feeling. I overcame my fears and I loved it! Plus these guys are a plus. They’re very cool and they made me feel really comfortable and I could just be myself.

Hmoodle:  We spoke earlier and you had mentioned something about being in college. So what college are you attending and what are going for?

Plia:  I go to Inver Hills Community College and I am going into human services.

Hmoodle:  What makes you want to get involved with human services?

Plia:  I guess I just want to be able to help serve people. Right now I am interning at H.A.P. (Hmong American Partnership)?

Hmoodle:  Why don’t you tell us more about your internship?

Plia:  I am doing my internship until August 1, 2008. I will be doing 300 hours in two months which is working full-time. Still loving it! I work in every department. I try to put my hands on everything so I know where my best interest is. They have a lot of programs such as for the youth and the elderly, educational programs, Job club, and employment services. I will be helping with employment services where I will get the opportunity to help people find jobs. I have done tutoring as well as being a teacher’s aide with the elderly in the education program. I help work with new immigrants who just arrived to the U.S. with their English skills. These immigrants are from Karen, Burma, and then there are Hmong people. Other programs that exist are: RIP, family circle, Hmong Teen and much more that I can’t think of.

Hmoodle:  Besides going to school, what do you do to keep busy?

Plia:  I do yoga and working out. I like to walk around the park and reflect about my life, listen to music, and dance. Its weird but I hate watching sports except for track. Other than that I daydream when it comes to watching sports. I’m in la la land. Oh yeah, I really enjoy knitting.

Hmoodle:  I wouldn’t have taken you as a knitter.

Plia:  I started about two years when my sister taught me how to do it. It’s very relaxing.

Hmoodle:  So what do you knit?

Plia:  Mostly scarves. That’s all I’ve been able to do so far.

Hmoodle:  Lets go back to a little more serious of question and I asked this of our last “Girl Next Door” and that is, do you find yourself to be more Americanized or traditional?

Plia:  I’m actually both. It’s like living in two different worlds. When you go home you have act a certain way and be traditional, but when I’m out with my friends and out in society, I act a little differently and that’s where being Americanized comes in. You have to be that typical traditional Hmong girl for your parents to approve of you. I respect my culture and my parents, but I want to live out my goals and my dreams and sometimes it feels like I’m being held back.

Hmoodle:  How do you think your parents will respond to your photo shoot?

Plia:  I think they’ll see it and probably get upset, but you only live once.

Hmoodle:  Do you think of yourself as a role model for young girls? Why or Why not?

Plia:  That’s a hard question. I can see myself being a role model when I get older and have achieved more and I’m more successful. That’s when I can give back to the community and to young girls. Our young girls never get the opportunity or the chance to try something new because of our culture and gender. We can’t become who we want because of our traditions. We get put down every time we try to take a step forward. I think that being a girl is such a struggle through every day life and is something we have to fight every day. I want to prove that we as girls can get somewhere. We can reach for the stars if we just give ourselves a little push. Life is short; why not make it worth it. Live with no regrets. Now smile…with teeth. If that can help someone, then yeah, maybe I am a role model.

Hmoodle:  That’s a lot of great advice you have given young girls out there. I know we are running short on time so to close up, why don’t you tell us more about yourself, what you’d like our readers to know about you.

Plia:  Well, I am shy and quiet at first, but that changes once you get to know me. My family is very important to me. I love them with all my heart—through thick and thin. I think everything is rewarding and that things happen for a reason. I am open minded and I love to learn new things. And oh yeah, I love to eat. Like I tell my friends and family…ya gotta eat before you die.

Hmoodle:  I think that’s the perfect way to end this article. Thanks so much for you time. Good luck with everything.

Plia:  Thank you so much. This has been too much fun.

We at Hmodle want to thank Plia for participating in this month’s “Girl Next Door”. It was a long day, but we all got through it unscathed.

If you would like to be featured as Hmoodle’s “Girl Next Door” then send me a picture with a paragraph about yourself to ryanm@hmoodle.com

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