AAAL Announces 2026 Distinguished Service and/or Engaged Research Graduate Student Award Winner

AAAL Announces 2026 Distinguished Service and/or Engaged Research Graduate Student Award Winner: Thérèse Moua-Jasperson

The purpose of the Distinguished Service and Engaged Research Graduate Student Award (DSERG for short) is to recognize outstanding scholarship and service by a graduate student that advances JEDI within AAAL and the wider field. 

After receiving a master’s degree in Language, Literacy, and Culture from Stanford University, Thérèse Moua-Jasperson worked as a Hmong language consultant, developing language standards and instructional material for Hmong language programs across the nation. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, studying Second Language Acquisition. Her research examines Hmong writing development through a desire-based framework, which acknowledges the hardships and injustices faced by the Hmong while also emphasizing the aspirations, resilience, knowledge, and creativity that sustain them in the face of adversity. The Hmong refugee experience extends beyond physical resettlement; it includes their pursuit of linguistic rights through Hmong writing, which enables them to record and share their own stories in their mother tongue.

Congratulations, Thérèse!