Senior Spotlight: Htoo Htoo Gay – The Storm Lake Times
Weslee Barnett, Htoo in the center in green, Tae Xaysana in the back row. Miguel Tapia and Alex Tapia in the front row.
Htoo Htoo Gay is the first Karen student in the spotlight
Being undedicated is an obstacle Htoo Htoo Gay has overcome. Now that he has arrived in the middle of senior year, he realizes that his life has value, and he wants to excel.
Born in Thailand, the oldest son of Ma Pya and Jaw Htoo Soe, Htoo has a younger sister, Amy Htoo Soe, who was born in the U.S.
“Mom, Dad and I were refugees. I’m generation zero and my sister is generation one. I had to wait about 13 years of my life to get American citizenship. I did not grow up as an American. I grew up idolizing Americans because of how my parents viewed it. They grew up in a completely different place.”
Htoo’s mom grew up in Myanmar, a war torn country. “We are S’gaw, Karen, a part of the indigenous people being persecuted by the Burmese government. They are doing the same to Muslims now. It’s not a good place to be.”
Htoo’s dad grew up in the forests of Thailand. His dad’s dad passed away due to violence before Htoo was born. They farmed and had to run a lot. When asked what he knew about what it was like where his parents grew up, Htoo said, “My parents don’t talk about it unless I’m getting lectured or if I ask. Then they talk.”
Htoo was born in a Thailand refugee camp in 2004. The family moved to the U.S. in either 2005 or 2006. Their first stop was Jacksonville, Fla.
“I remember chasing lizards in Florida. I never caught them, except one time. Lizards store food in their tails, and when I finally grabbed one, I was left with a squiggling tail, a few ants and no lizard.”
The family moved to Logan, Utah, before coming to Storm Lake because of his dad’s job when Htoo was five, which was halfway through his kindergarten year. When he arrived in Storm Lake and returned to school, he remembers, “I started out behind because I could not tie my shoes. They sang Spanish 1-10 numbers, and I thought, what is this?” “Sometimes I don’t feel like I deserve the spot I have. There were a lot of kids just like me who died,” he says. The Covid years were not good for Htoo’s mental health, but now that he’s gotten to this spot, both geographically and mentally, he has vowed to excel for the rest of his life.
Up to this point, as he says, his life had been “point and click.” His parents told him to do something and he did it. Now he has more freedom and he doesn’t know what to do with it.
He is looking at studying science. His family plans to move after graduation, either to Utah, where they have friends, or Connecticut, where there is family.
Htoo is planning college around the move. If he moves to Connecticut, he is interested in studying aerial engineering. If he moves to Utah, he wants to study chemistry or computer science. He’d like to chase his dream into the FBI.
According to Htoo, there is “Not a lot of intimacy in a traditional Asian family. There is a lot of ‘Yes ma’am.’ There is
not a lot of hugging or vocal words to tell family that I love them.
Things are more formal. I grew up in a traditional Asian household. As my sister and I grew, my parents added some American values. My sister wants to spread her wings and move away from our parents.”
But Htoo plans to stick to his traditional Asian upbringing. He will always have his parents close so he can take care of them. Htoo appreciates that his parents left their parents in Burma and Thailand to give Htoo a life he could not have without their move, so the least he can do is give back to them the love they have given him.
American culture has been difficult for Htoo’s family to adjust to. “There is so much materialism, so much stuff. We don’t hoard stuff,” he says. “We don’t buy outside of budget. We don’t do extravagant things, even if we do have money, because we always want to make sure we have enough.”
His mother has been his biggest supporter. “I have a very fond memory of her. When I was sick, she gave me medicine. I looked in her eyes and I saw a gleam. She had the love of a caring mother. That look pushes me. I’m not very intimate with my father. I’m closer to my mother. That doesn’t mean I don’t love my dad. I’m just a lot closer to my mom. I think she is my biggest fan, rooting for me, pushing me to succeed.
“If my mom is my number one fan, my friends are my fan club: Byron Alvarado Orozco, Justin Oliva, Levi Holmes, Connor Thephavong, Alex Tapia, Pablo Garcia and Weslee Barnett. Tae Xaysana is my brother.”
Htoo shares his best school memory: “In fifth or sixth grade, my friends and I went to the park and I said, ‘You know what we should do? We should eat dandelions.’ There was a good 50 of them in the park, and we ate a good 10. The bitter taste caused the worst stomach pains of my life.”
Mr. Roth is his favorite teacher. He feels like a second dad to Htoo. “He is great company. He wishes upon my success, even though I think he is wishing upon my downfall. He is here to see me through. He is rough on me. It’s how he teaches, and I appreciate it.”
High school has “been hectic, with all the different schedules. I’m just glad it’s almost over,” he says.
For Htoo, excelling in life is living with no regrets, having enough money to provide for his family, and making memories. “Life is telling us to make the most of it,” he says. He is planning to.