Ya Po Cha was born in 1968 in Laos. He grew up in a small Hmong village in the mountains of Laos where he attended Lao grammar school for three years. In September of 1975, his family fled to Thailand. He spent five years in a refugee camp where he attended Thai school. Ya Po arrived in the United States in 1980. He graduated from California State University, Fresno in 1991 with a BA in biochemistry. In 2010, he graduated from California State University, Sacramento with an MA in bilingual/multicultural education. For 12 years, he taught high school science. Currently, he teaches Hmong as a world language at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. He has been actively involved in the Hmong community. Check out www.hmongcultureonline.com for more information on Hmong culture and contemporary issues. "An Introduction to Hmong Culture" has been highly recommended by CHOICE in their June 2011 publication.
