Community is Resistance: Ensuring Every Voice Matters
By Vanessa Keodara, LAT 2025 Cohort
Growing up with a Lao refugee father and a Lao immigrant mother, I was never taught to prioritize my mental health.
This wasn’t necessarily because my parents didn't believe it to be of importance, but rather because they never had the opportunity to deeply reflect on their emotions due to the circumstances of war and fleeing their homeland for survival. The repercussions of the Secret War in Laos are still felt to this day within the Lao community, but having open conversations about emotions within my circles and partaking in various community-based programming has shown me how resilient we are.
A photo of the Keodara family and community members as they are navigating through various refugee camps before resettling in the United States. Photo courtesy of Vanessa Keodara.
In times of uncertainty, it’s important that we lean on each other. It can be easy to “doomscroll” these days, but complacency is the enemy of progress and I have always wanted to fight the good fight. Being in community is important now more than ever. Community can look different for everyone and can be as small or as huge as you need it to be. For me, I have leaned on various communities within my circle to continue fighting the good fight for my values.
Community-based initiatives can easily be interwoven within the workspace and can be a low risk opportunity that provides high rewards. With the challenges of higher education funding getting cut nationwide, it has been daunting to navigate the daily tasks and larger-scale initiatives for my school's summer mentorship program. We have a goal to reach more incoming first-year students annually. The Summer Bridge program wants to be able to provide the best support for our students and ultimately retain them at our institution, but without proper funding for housing or staffing it’s difficult to function like years previous.
Operating a program that serves over 700 students annually in a hybrid modality has been a challenge, but I am thankful for the coworkers I have to help brainstorm initiatives that can be cost-effective and have a strong positive impact on our students. We’ve launched bi-weekly community circles called Peer Led Success Circles, to have our student staff connect with our students to facilitate conversations on specific topics important to our students. This initiative strengthens our students’ connections to peers and helps them feel like they belong on campus. During my time in the education track at SEARAC’s 2025’s LAT program, I learned to value the importance of mentorship and holistic approaches and applied these learnings to ensure our underserved student population feels confident on their campus.
With the confidence I gained from attending LAT, I reached out to local organizations to further my impact here in San Diego. A few months back, I participated in VietVoices’ Know Your Rights canvassing event to connect with our local Southeast Asian community and inform them of their rights amidst the ICE raids occurring. Although I have not canvassed before, I wanted to learn more about how I can help my local community feel like they don’t have to go through these troubling times alone. Connecting with other like-minded people was such a fulfilling experience. I met local business owners in my neighborhood who I have only seen in passing and had conversations with them about their rights and protections. Some of them knew, but a few did not. I hope to further connect with VietVoices and other local organizations that do great work to help our community.
A photo from VietVoices’ “Business Know Your Rights Canvassing” volunteer opportunity back in July 2025. Photo courtesy of Vanessa Keodara.
Community initiatives can also be conducted at a smaller close-knit size. When we think about ways to change our community, it can be easy to feel like you have to do a huge organized effort. In reality, it can be as simple as reaching out to those you love and educating them on issues you find important. Connecting with those who I know personally and are willing to learn more about how they can help and make an impact within our community is an effective step in the right direction. In my house, dinner is a time for everyone in the house to gather to talk about whatever topic comes to mind and… also to enjoy delicious eats! It’s important to check in with one another and discuss topics you’re concerned about. I am privileged to have a family who is open-minded and shares similar sentiments to me, but there are times where I have to reframe their prior perspectives on topics to meet them where they are at and have them reflect on why they feel that way.
Being able to engage and conduct small-scale and larger-scale initiatives in times where we need solidarity the most makes me feel optimistic. It makes me yearn for a brighter future for me and my loved ones. This year marks 50 years since the end of the Secret War in Laos, and I hope we can continue to lean on community as a form of resistance and healing.
Vanessa was the lead designer for the 19th annual UC San Diego Asian & Pacific Islander American Heritage Celebration branding and marketing material. Photo courtesy of Vanessa Keodara.
Vanessa Sriyaphone Keodara is a Lao San Diegan that is passionate about connecting to her cultural and geographical roots. She currently serves as a Summer Bridge Summer Programs Assistant at UC San Diego, a mentorship program that primarily serves first-generation and/or underserved populations throughout their first year in college. She participated in the 2025 SEARAC LAT program under the Education cohort to further advocate for more educational pathways access and push for higher student attainment rates for underrepresented populations. She also is a huge foodie and digital illustrator which is documented on her Instagram @woahnessa!