Tou Lo's father had originally wanted him to be a tradesman. But on Friday afternoon, he applauded and beamed along with Lo's mother at a graduation ceremony as their son became the first Hmong-American firefighter in St. Paul.
Lo, 25, was one of 13 graduates from the St. Paul firefighter academy class of 2013-B.
Though the journey wasn't easy, Lo said he couldn't imagine doing anything else.
"It's a physically and mentally challenging position, but the reward is great," said Lo, after receiving his new badge.
The Twin Cities has the largest concentration of Hmong of any metro area in the United States, according to the Hmong Studies Journal analysis of census data.
Despite the large demographic, the Fire Department has had Hmong EMTs who work for their nonemergency ambulance service, but not firefighters.
"I thought it was an honor to be a first and surprising to me that I was the first, but at the same time, somebody has got to break the ice," Lo said.
His family couldn't be prouder.