Police Dispatcher Invests in Herself with Merced College Degree

By Luciana Chavez Special to Merced College Jamie Moua drove to Merced College one day 12 years ago to interview for a secretarial position. The mother of three just wanted a job. She left with a calling. Moua is passionate about her work as administrative assistant and dispatcher with the Merced College Campus Police Department, and about the college itself—enough that she also willingly sacrificed time away from family to achieve another big goal. When she drove away from Merced College’s Commencement ceremony on May 24, she left with a college degree. “My husband says I should be proud of myself,” said Moua, who earned an AA degree in Administrative Office Management (AOM). “He tells me it doesn’t matter how long it took me, because I’m showing our kids how to get stuff done. So yeah, I am proud of myself.” Moua grew up as the child of Hmong refugees who fled Laos amid the ravages wrought by the U.S. during the Secret War. The Vangs immigrated to the U.S., and after stops in Michigan and Colorado, the family settled in Fresno. They did what they knew best to make a life, growing and selling cherry tomatoes. Moua’s father Nhia Chou Vang had earned a night school diploma in Michigan, then found full-time work as a custodian with the Fresno County Library. Her mother Mary Her raised their eight children. “All they did was work hard, work hard, work hard,” Moua said. As a result, the Vang children never heard about college from their parents. It may be because they were so focused on survival. Moua admits that she and her siblings still don’t quite understand the extent of the trauma her parents experienced in Laos. Asking her parents. even today, seems intrusive. What Moua does know comes from books and her history buff husband, Kito Moua. Jamie Moua had to mature quickly. You can feel her melancholy as she talks about going to K-Mart with her mom and translating every graduation card on display, knowing her mom was trying to choose the best card to give her for her 8th-grade graduation. And that’s why Moua, 42, began working at the college with a diploma from Fresno’s Central East High School and several years of office experience. She had a powerful work ethic from her parents and a deep love for solving mysteries. Those qualities have enabled her to excel in law enforcement. “I love what I do,” she said. “It’s a huge responsibility. I have a responsibility to the students and to the college to do my job well, to keep everyone safe. If things aren’t working, I take it personally.” But she wants to do more. And, after living in the U.S. for decades, Moua’s parents have also evolved into strong education advocates. “They tell us now, ‘If we’d known, we would have been pushing you to get whatever education and assistance you could to go to school,’” she said. It was while working at Aspiranet, an organization that provides in-depth support services for foster youth, that a coworker gave her the kickstart she needed. “I’m so grateful to her now,” Moua said. “She’d hear me talk about why I couldn’t go to college, and she’d say, ‘Those are all excuses. If you can’t do anything else, just take one class. Then you’re one class closer.’” Moua took one and passed it easily. She thought she should take several at once, then burned herself out with kids, life and too many classes. She would stop, then go back and take another. “At that time, I was okay if I didn’t finish a degree,” Moua said. “In hindsight, I realize that I didn’t have a sense of purpose.” She beat herself up a little bit, even while she was slowly earning credits. “That same coworker was like, ‘Why are you comparing yourself to everyone else?’” Moua said. “‘They don’t have your responsibilities. You’re doing fine.’ But if I wasn’t taking classes, she’d also be on me, like, ‘What are you doing?!’” Last year, Moua took a PE course to finish her general ed requirements. She hated PE but enjoyed the online course with instructor Suzanne McGhee. Acing the class felt like an accomplishment. It gave Moua renewed energy. By that time, the AOM pathway had become fully available online and been upgraded to an associate degree. Moua switched her major to AOM and started studying for shorter classes on her own time. She began knocking them down, finally finishing this semester with 21 units. “COVID was a blessing in disguise,” she said. “It unlocked everything for me. Without an AA, I never had a chance to advance in my career. Now the door is open. “I did this for me, but I couldn’t have done it without my husband, who cooked plenty of spaghetti and beef tomato and took the kids to all their activities. I’m here now because everyone supported me.”