After a childhood fleeing danger in the jungles of Burma, Htar Htar Yu ’08 found a home and the freedom to explore new worlds in Vermont.

In December 2023, Yu visited Vermont to share her story of as part of the “Purpose and Place: Voices of Middlebury” event, part of the launch of For Every Future: The Campaign for Middlebury.

Watch Yu’s talk above, or read the transcript below.

Transcript

I was born into war, born on the run.

My parents were revolutionaries who fought against the Burmese military regime for decades. I lived in the jungle, and we moved around a lot to avoid ambushes. Ambush after ambush, gunshots after gunshots.

I remember when I was seven years old, we had just moved to a new camp.

My mom went to down the hill where we cooked and suddenly I heard a gunshot.

I knew we were under attack.

I was seven and I had six younger brothers.

I grabbed them. We ran for our lives.

And I remember there were times that my mom took me to a tree and then ordered me: Htar Htar. Stay there until I come back.

I would crawl into that tree alone, scared, into myself and silent.

I lost two sisters, two brothers, an aunt, uncle, and too many friends.

I was scared. I feared everything. I feared losing my mom, my siblings. I was scared of getting arrested, tortured, and raped.

I spent nine years of my childhood in the jungle until we fled to a refugee camp on the Thai-Burmese border, eventually into Thailand.

That’s when I met Christina Sivret from Barre, Vermont, who found me a host family, and helped me to go to Spaulding High School.

My host parents, Karen Lane and Chet Briggs. (My mom should be here. Please look out for her. She’s driving fast.)

My host dad, I remember my first days going to high school asking him, “Dad, what do I do when I see police? Dad, are there going to be spies spying on me?

Chet would make sure: “Htar Htar, no one’s gonna arrest you here. No one’s gonna kill you here. You’re safe.”

He reassured me, and my mom, Karen Lane, who should be here soon, she cheered me on and on and on of anything and everything I was interested in. And she thought highly of me.

And then I got into Middlebury College with full scholarship, ’08.

I remember my freshman year, you know, serious studying in the library. This line of naked people ran by me.

I’m like, “Oh my God!” They were in my face, streaking. I’ve never seen something like this before.

I’m like, I want to try that.

I opened up, you know; I tried everything. I tried intramural soccer. I was in the biking team, hiking team, running. I’m a marathoner now. I’m gonna run Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. I live in D.C. And I was seriously into tennis.

I made great friends.

John Elder was my professor.

And I had the freedom to experience, freedom to express, freedom to make mistakes, freedom to be embarrassed, freedom to be part of something, to be connected, to love, to be loved.

Above all, I opened up.

I was no longer this silenced child anymore. I had a voice within me and outside of me, to the point that by the end of senior year, I joined naked dinners at Weybridge House.

Have you tried that? You can get naked dinners there. I know.

And I didn’t stop there.

After college, I went on to helping the Vermont Burmese refugees in Vermont as an interpreter, as a translator, and as school liaison.

And I’m proud to say that I was the one who advocated for their education. And there are three kids from that community going to Middlebury College right now.

I know that the world is filled with death, fear, and silenced children, but I also know that a change is possible if we join our hands.

Thank you very much.