Dee Dee Yang became the first Revived Scholarship recipient in January 2016. She was born and raised in the small town of Marysville, CA. With a strong passion for art and fashion, she obtained a degree in Design at the University of California, Davis, where she graduated in 2016. She aspires to continue her education by pursuing a Master's of Fine Arts with a focus on Hmong textiles.

 

For her creative prompt, Dee Dee designed and constructed a bias garment titled, “Journey”. To represent her values as a designer, the garment merged her cultural roots with her contemporary style in a crop top incorporating traditional Hmong textile motifs. The design is an embodiment of Dee Dee for her bicultural Hmong American identity.

 

Since receiving the Revived scholarship, Dee Dee has used the reward to fund her senior collection titled, "Unveil". She graduated from UC Davis in June 2016 and is now a Design Coordinator for the Kid's department at the Old Navy headquarteers in San Francisco.

 

“Not only has the scholarship helped me in monetary form, it has encouraged me to reconnect with my roots. Since applying and receiving the scholarship, I've become very appreciative of Hmong textiles and its costume. It has inspired me to explore Hmong fashion and how I can leave my fingerprint on this body of work.”

 

As a word of advice, Dee Dee wants to remind students to be hopeful. “Sometimes people will be doubtful and critical. Sometimes you'll wonder where you would have been had you studied Biology, Engineering, or Business. Sometimes you'll question whether you made the right decision by pursuing the Arts, a riskier subject matter. Regardless of it all, most of the time, you'll be happy knowing that you're doing what you love to do and what you're good at. Not everyone has a knack for the arts. Be hopeful that you can be successful– in your own terms– no matter what you study. You are talented, so give yourself that opportunity to be creative.”

 

Dee Dee hopes to pursue her Master's of Fine Arts in Design. She will be applying to graduate school where she hopes to research Hmong fashion and explore the practices of traditional garment construction. Follow Dee Dee’s work at here.

 

Revived is proud of Dee Dee’s achievements and success, and wishes her well on her next step!