People, Profiles

Meng So: A voice for change on immigration

By Public Affairs

“If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound if no one hears it? If an undocumented immigrant gets deported, but no one hears about it, does it matter to our public consciousness of how we understand our own humanity?” asks Meng So, director of the Undocumented Student Program at UC Berkeley.

Meng So

Meng So (Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund photo)pub

He continues: “I’ve learned that it’s essential speak up. Authentic voices can, do and always will help shape a future of dignity for our communities.”

So’s comments come in a Q&A posted on the website of the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, which recently gave $1 million to fund scholarships for undocumented students at Berkeley.

So was born in a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border and came to the Bay Area with his parents and siblings when he was just two. In the interview, he talks about his own life and the unique perspective it gives him in the work he does.

Read the full interview on the Haas fund site.

Read an earlier Berkeley News story about So and the Undocumented Student Program.