Mia Yang-Foster is a first-generation Hmong-American born to Jua Vang and 2/Lt. Wa Pao Yang, who served under Col. Yong Chue Yang during the Secret War. Her maternal grandfather, Naikhoo Loi Lo Vang, was killed in action on Padong on October 15, 1972. In the mass exodus of 1975 out of Laos, Mia's parents crossed into Thailand by foot after trekking for 13 days. They spent the next 4 years in Soptuang Refugee Camp and arrived in America in 1979. Mia's proclivity towards world history has led her to the realm of humanitarian advocacy within the Hmong community aimed at telling the stories of the veterans, the refugees, and the plight of their families. Mia is a small-business owner and Diversity and Inclusion Commissioner for the City of Elk Grove where she lives with her husband and their three sons.