Adisack’s Interview
Can you walk us through a timeline from when you had to leave to when you settled in Minnesota?
My family left Laos in 1979 due to the Vietnam War (or the “Secret War”). The US had a secret war in Laos as part of its efforts to combat the spread of communism in Vietnam. My dad was in the Royal Lao Army. After the communists took over in 1975, it was no longer safe to stay in Laos. So in 1979, my parents made the decision for us to leave the country.
I remember leaving one early morning to go to a “farm.” We were pretending to be farmers (we lived in the city of Vientiane). We left early to go to a family friend’s farm along the Mekong River. From there, we snuck across to Thailand early in the morning on a fishing boat. We were all scared of being caught and shot by the Army river patrolmen.
What was your experience like with United States schooling? Did you face any challenges here?
I began (continued) my schooling in Minnesota in the 2nd grade. I knew next to no English. So we were put in an ESL (English as a Second Language) group. This was in 1980 in a small town in Minnesota. They had never had non-English speaking students before. So this was new to them and new to us.
I remember once I learned some English, particularly numbers, I was always better at math than my American classmates. I knew basic match facts and could recall them faster than them.
So the main challenge was learning English. But in mathematics, I was ahead of my classmates.
What is the first job you got here and how did you get it?
My first job was as a paperboy. I delivered newspapers early in the morning during my freshman year of high school. A newspaper rep knocked on our apartment door one day because he said he saw a lot of kids’ shoes outside. My mom answered and agreed to have me be a paper boy.
Later in high school, I worked in a grocery store bagging groceries and stocking shelves.
My first real job (after I graduated college) was as an Assessment Specialist at the Minnesota Department of Education. I got that job mainly due to graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a doctorate degree. That opened a lot of doors for me.
What is your current job here?
I started my educational assessment company Naiku in 2010. My current role is President of Naiku.
What do you remember from when you first arrived in the US?
I arrived in Sioux Falls, SD in the middle of winter in January 1980. So I remember it being really cold. We were given coats to wear. We then had a long car ride to a small town in Minnesota where we would live.
Did you or your family members experience challenges when trying to find jobs in the US? What were these challenges?
My parents were teachers in Laos. But they did not know enough English to continue this profession in the US. So they found jobs in factories in various industries. They worked on the assembly line. This was a challenge as that was all they were qualified to do in the US. With limited English proficiency, they had to find a job to support their family. So they took anything that was available and offered to them. I’m amazed they were able to find work and provide for their family given the little English that they knew.
