Indiana is home to 40,000 people who moved from Chin State in western Burma (also known as Myanmar) due in part to military violence and ethno-religious persecution. Sui Hnem Par came to the United States as a child, eventually settling in Indianapolis and quickly adjusting to a new culture, language, and way of life. Now, as an Indiana University Bloomingtondoctoral education student, she is on a mission to develop literacy materials to better serve her community.

Throughout her time in the U.S. education system, well-meaning educators often assumed Par was culturally and ethnically Burmese since she was from Burma.

“I would not expect someone to know all of the people groups in Burma,” Par said. “But it would be somewhat analogous to assuming that everyone from America is Texan. If you are from Indiana, you have a different accent, colloquial phrases, foods, customs and history that you are proud of and that is distinct from other parts of the country, even if you are all from America.”

Read more about how Par is helping educators at News at IU.